Conspiracy
by Ominae
Summary: Mikhail Blanc wanted to know if his disgraced older sister, Jessica, had committed suicide from a court-martial ruling that declared her guilt for killing her superior officer or if it was from something else. As he investigates the case again, the SMS contractor gets caught in a conspiracy that can undermine Frontier from within. AU of Macross Frontier as a technothriller story.
1. Mystery Man

Macross Frontier: Conspiracy

Disclaimer:

All characters and machines of Macross Frontier and other Macross-related works are under the copyright of Shoji Kawamori, Studio Nue, Big West Advertising, Bandai Namco Games, Artdink and Satelight. All other characters and machines made for this fanfiction story are under my jurisdiction.

Summary:

Mikhail Blanc wanted to know if his disgraced older sister, Jessica, had committed suicide from a court-martial ruling that declared her guilt for killing her superior officer or if it was from something else. As he investigates the case again, the SMS contractor gets caught in a conspiracy that can undermine Frontier from within. AU of Macross Frontier as a technothriller story.

Chapter 1: Mystery Man

* * *

February 22, 2059

19.5 kilometers away from _Macross Frontier_ airspace

* * *

Several VF-25 fighters with markings from the private military contractor Strategic Military Services were seen taking out several Shinsei VF-11C Thunderbolts with a black finish, most of them still in fighter mode with their Howard GU-17A gatling guns fired. They were on a mission to defend the _Uraga_-class ship from being taken out or captured since its engine was taken out carefully in order to make sure everyone inside was taken into custody alive.

**"Apollo Squadron to Skull Squadron, we've successfully cleared the airspace around rogue _Uraga_-class ship," **Someone from the SMS' Apollo Squadron said over an SMS-only frequency, which was encrypted to protect the channel from unwanted intrusion.

**"Thanks for the assist, Apollo Squadron," **A man with a tough-sounding voice replied over the comm, who was clearly from Skull Squadron. **"Now we just wait for the cavalry to arrive and then..."**

A couple of black VF-11C Thunderbolts arrived from behind the rear of Skull Squadron, changing to Battroid Mode and were about to land a kill when they were taken out from a distance.

**"Thanks a lot for saving our butts, Skull-2!"**

A Shinsei VF-25G Messiah in Battroid Mode was on the offensive, already equipped with its SSL-9B Dragunov anti-armor sniper rifle. It was very easy to tell it apart from most of the other VF-25s because of its white and blue line finish.

**"Not a problem, Skull Leader. The Marines should be arriving by now."**

The pilot of the VF-25G lowered his Dragunov after the last rogue Thunderbolt was taken out with a shot to the chest. This was followed by an incoming transmission sent from NUN forces through SMS channels.

**"This is the New United Nations Marine Corp." **A transmission coming from NUNMC forces was heard by all SMS Variable Fighter pilots in the vicinity. **"Colonel Blake sends her regards to everyone in the SMS. We'll take over in taking all the pirates into NUNMC custody."  
**

**"Understood, NUNMC. Apollo Leader out."**

A few seconds later, both Apollo and Skull Squadrons received a transmission from the Macross Quarter that they needed to get back at once since the Marines are taking over.

**"This is the Quarter. Captain's requesting everyone from both squadrons to return at once."**

**"Understood, Quarter. We're heading back now."**

Apollo and Skull Leaders made contact with their respective subordinates to fly back to the Quarter at once.

The VF-25G was among the first to comply with the order, quickly transforming from its Battroid Mode to Fighter Mode as it flew back to the main SMS mothership.

As the SMS VFs withdrew, a couple of NUNS _Uraga_-class ships were seen dispatching several General Galaxy VF-171 Nightmare Plus fighters in Fighter Mode. A few more were dispatched to provide armed escorts for NUNMC transport ships carrying armed marines to secure the rogue ship and its crew.

* * *

February 23, 2059

Hangar, SMS _Macross_ Quarter-class ship

* * *

All SMS-manned VFs were present and accounted for as the ship moved closer and closer to Frontier airspace. All maintenance personnel were on-duty helping the pilots leave their taxied VFs.

"Good work today, Mikhail." A SMS maintenance crewmember of African descent approached the VF-25G that had already parked itself in a spot in the ship's hangar. "As usual, your sniping skills have impressed the NUNMC."

The VF-25G pilot retracted the visor of his helmet and took it off before he came down from the cockpit. He then climbed down slowly via retractable ladder, eventually making it down. The helmet was tucked underneath his right armpit while he used his left hand and feet to slowly climb down since his right hand (and arm) was occupied with his helmet.

_Mikhail Blanc (Hiroshi Kamiya/Andrew Francis)_

"Not at all." Mikhail smirked at the crewmember when he heard his remarks. "That's the reason why I'm the best sniper in SMS."

"Geez Mikhail. I can't believe that you're leaving us out of the mix."

Mikhail turned around to see a fellow SMS contractor, much older than him. He had brown hair and some face painting on his cheeks that are... let's say maybe a bit hard to comprehend on what they're suppose to mean.

"Good work out there, Captain Gilliam." Another SMS maintenance crewmember, who was a female of East Asian origin with short hair, greeted the older SMS contractor. "Seems that those pirates were easy to take out."

_Henry Gilliam (Takashi Ohara/Brad Hawkins)_

"Come on now." Henry groaned after he heard her praises. "Don't make it sound like all the contractors are invincible heroes or something straight out of a movie or a comic book, yeah? I mean, me and Major Lee were nearly killed if Mikhail didn't help us out."

Mikhail had smirked at Henry's disappointment after the crewmember left to help out with her colleagues.

"Though, it should make you wonder regarding that ship," Henry spoke to Mikhail, now being a little serious.

"What do you mean?" Mikhail now was getting curious about what Henry was going to tell him.

"Doesn't it make you wonder how those pirates were able to get an _Uraga_-class ship as their main mobile base around these parts?"

"Now that you think about it... it does boggle the mind."

"Unless these pirates are being backed by someone with a lot of money and influence, we might see the likes of them again to the point that they may have the same toys like we use in SMS."

The blond contractor was a bit worried over that idea.

_I sure hope that we don't go there someday._

* * *

February 24, 2059

Mikhail Blanc's Room, Blanc Apartment, Shibuya Area, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Mikhail "Michael" Blanc had just finished wrapping up his homework he needed to submit to his class in Mihoshi Academy tomorrow, which consisted of a two-page report for his aeronautics program on his reflection after he and his classmates watched a two-hour documentary talking about the future of Variable Fighters in military service. The documentary had specifically talked about whether other aerospace manufacturers can have a chance in competing with General Galaxy and Shinsei Industries, two major aerospace corporations currently responsible for making VFs for the New United Nations Spacy.

"At least I read about the documentary that I didn't have to type a lot of text to cheat my way through as BS." Mikhail sighed as he sat down in front of his desk when he booted his personal computer.

He needed to do one more thing before he turned in for the night.

Logging in on a web-based messenger program, the blond-haired teenager reclined back on his seat while he typed his username as "DaGreatestMan" and his password. Mikhail also made sure to uncheck the box icon that asked if he wanted for retain his info when he wants to log in again in the future.

_I don't want to get caught with that in case some things go south from here._

Satisfied, Mikhail read the message that he typed after he entered it on his messenger.

**DaGreatestMan: Are you online now? **

Mikhail waited to see if the person, known by his messenger name "TruthSeeker", was online despite having a green circle icon next to the name. He was told by a classmate of his in school that he's the best person to ask for any rumors or gossip that you want to confirm or deny, whether it's on Frontier, Earth or in some other place and that any info he gives is absolutely correct, no matter how big or small. Mikhail spoke to him online a few days as a test to see if the rumors are indeed true, mostly talking about rumors on whether Sheyl Nome would make her last stop at Frontier based on forum posts online that revealed the said information, despite local and overseas media suggestions that it was not announced.

The person had confirmed through reliable sources that it was true and that he should expect it to be in the papers or in the net a few days on or after the 26th. So far, the response was proven true. Now Mikhail wanted to see if he can ask him on something else.

The next reply came in a few minutes after he initiated the conversation.

**TruthSeeker: Sorry I'm late. Had something to do. You okay?**

From there on, Mikhail and TruthSeeker talked with each other on the net.

**DaGreatestMan: I'm okay. Just about to relax for a bit before I sleep.**

**TruthSeeker: Ah... BTW, did you see the documentary released on Channel 4 about unsolved cases from within NUNS? Had to do a one-page report on it before the week ends.**

The SMS pilot sighed when he read TS' reply. He caught a glimpse of the said documentary when some of his senior SMS colleagues watched it in the cafeteria when the program talked about some cold cases that the NUNS' Military Police Command were still trying to solve. Among them included the death of his older sister, Jessica. The MPC said that although they can't find any concrete evidence that she killed herself, there was enough indirect evidence to suggest that she did it due to an affair with a senior NUNS officer after she supposedly shot him under friendly fire.

_Didn't know that TS is in school like me and Luca... Maybe, I'm not sure.  
_

Mikhail tried his luck to see if he can something going on.

**DaGreatestMan: I know. That's been bothering me again and again. You mind if I can ask you about the Blanc case?**

Another few minutes elapsed and he got another reply.

**TruthSeeker: Don't tell me that you want info related to that case, mate? Last I heard, MPC declared it as a cold case and had to close it with no other substantial evidence available to help them JAG guys make a conclusion except that Ms. Jessica offed herself on purpose.**

TS' new reply made Mikhail a bit frustrated and upset. He knew that while he was told by immediate family and close friends of Jessica that she killed herself, he was not very sure that it may have to do with her affair. Mikhail didn't get why she would have an affair in the first place.

**TruthSeeker: Are you related to her in some way?**

This was when Mikhail sat back and read the new reply that came in. Should he reveal his actual surname to him or not? This was his biggest question.

Mikhail sighed again. He decided to forego telling his real name to be safe.

**DaGreatestMan: No. I know her brother who wants some answers if whether her death is really a case of suicide or whether someone else manipulated evidence to make it look like that.**

A few minutes after the last reply, the sniper felt that his bluff may not have worked. Although he decided to wait and see what would happen next.

Then came in a favorable response.

**TruthSeeker: I see. I don't blame him if he thinks the LEOs aren't doing enough. Tell him to get ready to make contact. I'll provide a mobile number he can use to make contact. It may not be safe to conduct further exchanges via computer.**

Mikhail nodded in relief. Looks like this was going to get somewhere. All he needed to do was to end the conversation and head to sleep for now. He had to go to Mihoshi Academy again in the morning.

_Least that problem is resolved._

* * *

February 25, 2059

Somewhere in Griffith Park Hill, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

After school was over, Mikhail went to the main entrance of Griffith Park Hill. It was a good thing that the park was next to the academy. This gave him the opportunity to scope out the park and search for what he needed to look for.

_TS_ _mentioned that I needed to locate the closest park bench to the fountain. Said he has something for me._

The blond teenager fixed his gaze towards the park's central fountain. He was able to ascertain the closest park bench.

_There it is. Now to give it a look and see what I need to look for._

Mikhail looked over and under the bench, checking every spot slowly until he something clamped underneath via magnet since it was placed beneath the bench, which was mostly made of metal.

"Here we are. A dead drop."

Taking the magnetic object from the bench, he sat down on the bench and opened it by sliding the top off. Inside was a mobile phone with a piece of paper folded on top. He took the paper and unfolded it, which had a hidden message.

_Contact me later at 1900 hours. The number is on the phone. Get rid of this message after you've read it._

Deciding to heed the warning, Mikhail crumpled the paper and threw it to the trash can that was meant for paper products. Luckily for him, a garbage man came by to take out the contents in order to take them to the island's processing facility to be recycled. This way, no one would know that Mikhail was making contact with someone.

"Not a bad phone, despite that it looks like something from the early 21st century."

The student made sure he kept the secret phone in his school bag before he proceeded to commute towards SMS Headquarters. There was suppose to be a briefing since some of the contractors, all of them students at Mihoshi Academy, were ordered to provide stuntwork for Sheryl Nome's upcoming concert.

Mikhail smirked. If he was lucky, he could try to make fun of Alto Saotome, his classmate in school since he was also selected to provide stuntwork alongside him. Even though the two students got the details, SMS officials wanted a debriefing of their own since the PMC was footing part of the bill in making sure the concert tour goes through smoothly.

And that also included securing the colony fleet from any potential attacks.

_Let's hope that they don't show up. I could use some time off from SMS._

* * *

February 26, 2059

Arrivals Area, Frontier Spaceport, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Out of the 300 passengers who had disembarked from the spacecraft after it had defolded near Frontier airspace and docked at the Frontier Spaceport, a pink-haired woman wearing everything pink from her dress to her brim hat and high-heels was directed to another path from the main one all the other passengers used after they went through immigration.

The pink-haired woman was accompanied by a blue-haired woman with a green pantsuit jacket and skirt with high heels. The two women were escorted by uniformed officers from the Frontier Spaceport Police, an armed police service responsible for securing the spaceport, the people working in the facility and the residents and visitors who go in and out. They are also responsible for deploying their elite teams whenever a criminal or terror attack occurs in the spaceport.

"This way ladies," A FSP officer of African descent told Sheryl and Grace showed them the entrance of an airlock that was cordoned off by four FSP officers as they were directed to another route towards the spaceport's lobby. "We cleared a path for you Ms. 'O Connor, so travel to the lobby ought to be fine. I hope immigration wasn't a problem after your disembarkation from the spacecraft."

_Gr_ace _'O Connor (Kikuko Inoue/Bridget Hoffman)_

"Thank you very much, officer," Grace thanked the officer for his hard work. "I'll be sure to commend your actions to your superior."

"Airlock's opening up," Another FSP officer of Korean origin told his colleagues.

"Not a problem." The African FSP officer showed Grace the way out of the area. "Just be mindful of the artificial gravity."

"Of course," Grace replied to the officer's advice before she and the pink-haired girl got into the airlock with the doors closing behind them. "Thank you for the warning, officer."

"Man, that was a handful." The Korean FSP officer sighed in relief when he saw other FSP officers arriving to disperse the small crowd of passengers trying to take pictures of pop star with their mobile phones and electronic tablets.

"You don't say." A FSP officer of Caucasian origin with blond hair took out his peaked cap and wiped off the sweat off his forehead with his left arm. "Looks like immigration lines are gonna be long again since the Galactic Fairy's here in the colony."

* * *

February 26, 2059

Arrivals Airlock Corridor, Frontier Spaceport, Island 1, NUNGS Macross Frontier

* * *

Grace floated down the airlock corridor towards the direction of the lobby, moving alongside the Galactic Fairy. On the way there, a PA announcement stated that artificial gravity in the airlock was going to be turned off and that anyone in the lobby should watch their step.

"Be careful, Sheryl." Grace moved slightly ahead of Sheryl, who was also moving alongside Grace down the corridor via artificial gravity.

_Sheryl Nome (Aya Endo/Emily Neves)_

"I know." Sheryl nodded as she landed down safely without a hitch, making sure that her pink brim hat was still worn on top of her head. The pop star, however, felt some slight pain towards her chest for... complicated reasons. Although in the end, it went away once normal gravity was used in the corridor.

"Are you okay? You seemed a bit tired," Grace asked Sheryl after she saw her pant a bit.

"The space fold sickness with the jet lag is somehow making me a bit tired," Sheryl voiced out her complaint to her manager.

"If that's the case, shall I make arrangements to have the press conference at the spaceport moved to the hotel?" Grace further asked Sheryl after the former heard the latter's reply.

The pop star turned her head to the side to face Grace with a confident smirk on her face.

"Just who do you think I am? I'm Sheryl Nome and I won't take no for an answer."

* * *

February 26, 2059

Main Lobby, Frontier Spaceport, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Several FSP officers were seen in the lobby, securing the area as well as making preparations to conduct crowd control to make sure that any Sheryl groupies don't act rowdy while helping passengers exit the spaceport. Near the airlock where Sheryl and Grace are located, three men wearing black suits, red neckties and black shades with earpieces placed on their ears. A brown-haired woman in a female New United Nations Spacy uniform and high heels, including a side cap, was seen waiting with the suits in front of the airlock.

While the press were gathered in front of the airlock where Sheryl would make her entrance, a young man with East Asian features was present in the lobby. He leaned his back on the pillar, just seemingly trying to wait for the Galactic Fairy to show up.

_This better be worth the trouble I had to do for leaving even though the last class was cancelled 'cause the teacher called in sick at the hospital._

The young man wore a black Condor Phantom Softshell Tactical Jacket with rectangular-shaped Velcro loop provisions on both shoulders to place patches with Velcro hooks on. He wore a pair of black Oakley Radar shades and Adidas GSG-9.2 High Boots. The only thing that was not black was his jeans with a brown belt worn around his waist.

_Looks like she's here._

The airlock gate opened up and the cameras began to take photos of Sheryl and Grace walking out before they were met by the officer. After some introduction between both parties, FSP officers began to form up human barriers to form up a safe corridor for the women to leave the spaceport. During this time, the NUNS officer approached Sheryl and Grace and they introduced themselves to each other despite almost being surrounded by photographers and cameramen alike.

"Let's do this."

As he approached the women walking out of the lobby, a suit-wearing man raised his hand to stop the young man from approaching the safe corridor while he was warned that he would be arrested.

"I should have figured that coming." The young man procured his Almighty Support Enterprises identification card from his front jacket pocket and showed it. "You guys in the Presidential Security Division are aware that someone from ASE has been assigned as Ms. Nome's bodyguard for the duration of her stay in Frontier, right?"

"Let him through," The NUNS officer told the PSD officers, allowing the ASE agent through. He subsequently stored it in the same place again.

"First Lieutenant Catherine Glass," The young man introduced himself, never taking off his shades. "I apologize if I legitimately spooked any of the PSD's finest from the Frontier Police Bureau."

The brown-haired woman heard the young man's apology and raised an eyebrow.

_Catherine Glass (Sanae Kobayashi/_Lesley Pedersen_)_

This was before Catherine rolled her eyes when she heard his apology to her, walking alongside the young man while Sheryl and Grace followed them from the back. "It would have been avoided if you just approached FSP and informed them of your status when you arrived here."

"I can't help it if traffic got in the way before and after I got here, especially with those Sheryl groupies."

"Excuse me, but do you mind if I can scan through your ASE ID card?" Grace politely asked the agent.

The shades-wearing agent raised an eyebrow when he heard the question.

_Odd request. I thought the top brass cleared my name with Ms. Nome's talent agency._

"I've been told by my boss that I need to check your ID to make sure that you're not someone posing as a legitimate contractor." Grace calmly explained to the ASE agent the reason for her request.

"Here." The agent fished for his ID from his front jacket pocket, accepting Grace's request. _Let's get this over with._

Unknown to everyone, except for Sheryl, Grace used her prosthetic eyes to scan the bar code printed on the ASE ID card via infrared beams set to invisible mode so that no one on Frontier would be freaked out. Frontier laws does not allow anyone residing in the colony to convert their bodies or some of their body parts via cyberization, including the use of a cyberbrain. Exceptions are only given if a person's natural limb or organ is beyond saving as deemed by doctors with a prosthetic replacement being the alternative in order to save their life on a case by case basis only.

In addition, she was able to use her implant network interface to get a full picture of the agent. A few seconds later, Grace was able to obtain it. She checked out his name, Marc Chua, which was verified to be a legitimate name used under the employ of ASE with a short bio of him. From what the talent manager found out, he was 5'7 in height with short crew cut black hair and was of Chinese-Filipino origin who had just immigrated to the fleet a few years ago.

"Thank you very much, agent Marc Chua." Grace happily handed back his ASE ID card back to him. "I'm able to verify your identification with the Almighty Support Enterprises."

Marc stared at Grace, this time lowering his shades so that she (and Sheryl) could see his brown eyes as he looked at the talent manager.

_Marc Chua (Shuhei Sakaguchi/Patrick Poole)_

"Your talent agency sure is very cautious, Ms. Grace." Marc sighed as he approached the main entrance of the spaceport. "Must be the reason why ASE was hired, considering that the Galactic Fairy's a big hit in the pop scene." He then wore his shades again.

Catherine, after hearing the agent's comments about Sheryl's popularity in the Milky Way, said nothing but to roll her eyes again as a form of sarcasm.

"Better get ready. We're expecting a lot of visitors ready to _greet you_, Ms. Nome," Marc advised his client as he adjusted his Radar shades.

Sheryl smirked at her bodyguard. "You can count on it."

* * *

February 26, 2059

Outside Arrivals Terminal Building, Frontier Spaceport, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Both Catherine and Marc were the first ones to exit the spaceport's arrivals terminal building, seeing a multitude of Sheryl fans trying to get a closer look at the pop star. FSP officers were trying their best to keep them back by linking hands together to form a human fence.

"This'll be messy," Marc muttered under his breath as he slowly walked towards the awaiting vehicles. As he did so, the ASE agent looked from the left to the right to assess the crowd quickly since he needs to get Sheryl to the waiting car provided by the PSD.

_Looks like this'll be an easy job. _

The young contractor felt lucky that his latest job was going to be a walk in the park.

"DAMN YOU SHERYL! YOU STOLE THE SPOTLIGHT FROM AMAGI!"

Until he heard someone shout from the crowd. And the said shouts of anger made the crowd disperse in panic, forcing the FSP to retreat near the entrance.

"SHE DESERVED THE SPOTLIGHT MORE THAN YOU DO!"

"He's got something in his hands!" One of the FSP officers was about to use his taser pistol to subdue the incoming offender when Marc moved to the side and ran towards him.

Catherine moved in front of Sheryl to protect her from the troublemaker in case things would get literally FUBAR. Grace was also ready to move in and shield Sheryl from whatever was about to take place.

The ASE agent got a closer look at the offender. Based on his physical features, he was of Caucasian origin with blond hair and semi-muscular arms. He appeared to be wearing a jacket that belonged to a local university based on the initials. The bodyguard planned to check it out later.

"A pie?!" Marc was startled when the offender had a pie with him on his right hand. A couple of male PSD officers joined up with Marc to corner the pie-wielding man from the side and back in order to arrest him.

"LET ME THROUGH!" The offender shouted when he was about to hurl the pie at Sheryl's face.

"Oh yeah?!" Marc shouted back, using his left hand to grab the offender's right hand at the wrist and twisted it hard. "You and what army?!" After a few seconds of pressure was applied to the wrist, the offender was forced to let go of the pie.

"Get him down!" The ASE agent subsequently kicked the offender at the back of his legs so that he can be forced to kneel.

"I'M NOT DONE YET! I'M DONE YET!"

"SIT YOUR ASS DOWN AND SHUT UP!"

Some of the bystanders began to either film or take photos of Marc and the PSD officers forcefully restraining the offender on the ground. A female PSD officer of South Asian origin applied plasticuffs on his wrists after his arms were placed behind his back. They were now being forcefully pressed on as Marc used his right knee to do it.

"You're under arrest." Marc tightened the hold of the plasticuffs on the offender's wrists to ensure it was secure. After the arrest was made, two male PSD officers got the offender up from the ground by pulling him simultaneously from the arms while they proceeded to read him his rights.

"Take him to the car! We'll process him at once!" The supervising PSD officer told his subordinates as they took the offender into custody, with his rights already read. A couple of uniformed FPB officers placed him in their squad car before they drove off to the nearest precinct.

_Is it just a pie or does it hold something else?_

Marc knelt down next to the dropped pie pan made of aluminum foil. He saw that the pan showed its bottom, which means the pie is now ruined ever since it made contact with the tiled floor.

The ASE agent quickly drew out a Sheffield Fairbarn Sykes Commando Knife from the belt sheath strapped on his belt, located on the left side of his waist. With the bladed weapon out, he gently stabbed the pie pan with the 7" blade to ascertain if it was safe.

"Okay..." Marc murmured, taking the knife from the pan slowly. When he was able to get a good look at the bladed tip, he noted that it had some smears of pie cream on it.

"So it was nothing after all." The knife's blade was wiped clean of the pie cream when Marc opted to carefully use his fingers to remove them to avoid being cut by the sharp blade. He then stored the knife back in the belt sheath.

"All clear, Ms. Grace." Marc stood up and spoke to the talent manager. "It's just a harmless cream pie."

"Thank goodness." Grace was relieved that the "weapon" the offender had was just a simple piece of pie.

"This is going to be all over the news later on," Catherine said as uniformed FSP officers conducted crowd control and told bystanders to leave the area since it's now being treated as a crime scene. "I need to get Ms. Nome out of here right now."

"Yes, ma'am." A female PSD officer of East Asian descent with short hair got on her radio and requested that the car sent to pick up Sheryl and Grace be ready to leave now.

Two PSD officers, who happened to be female also, secured the waiting 2058 Rolls-Royce Phantom bearing Frontier government license plates.

"Please come with me," Catherine spoke to Sheryl and Grace as they were lead to the British-made car. "Your luggage is already inside before you got here."

Sheryl nodded as she was approaching the parked car.

"I'll be serving as your liaison officer during your stay in Frontier. Let me know if you encounter any problems."

"Thank you very much, Lieutenant Glass." Grace thanked Catherine before she got inside the rear section of the black car, the right passenger side door already opened by Catherine. "I'll be sure to commend your actions to your superior."

"It's nothing," Catherine replied, trying to be polite. "This is just part of my job after all. I'm used to this sort of thing."

Sheryl noted that Marc made his approach to the parked 2059 BMW K1600GT in a light grey metallic finish, already with his black fingerless gloves worn on his hands. The pop star noted that his tactical jacket had a shoulder tab patch of the (former) Philippine Constabulary with another patch shaped like a square that had the image of a white praying mantis with the words PRAYING MANTIS in bold white letters. He hopped onto the bike, raised the black neck gaiter to cover his nose and mouth and wore a BMW System Helmet 6 Evo over his head.

_Is he even allowed to use those patches? _Sheryl pondered on the patches he wore, wondering if he was in some sort of unit under ASE control.

"Sheryl?" Grace called the teenager's attention, who wasn't paying attention.

"S-sorry Grace!" Sheryl quickly blurted out as she got inside the Phantom.

"Is something the matter, Ms. Nome?" Catherine asked the Galactic Fairy when the officer got inside the Phantom from the front passenger side via right side.

"No." Sheryl shook her head. "Nothing to worry about." She then frowned and then asked, "Is he going to accompany me in my stay as well, Lieutenant Glass?"

Catherine replied to Sheryl's question after she finished putting on her seat belt. "Yes, he's one of the bodyguards assigned to you. The president personally made the call to Almighty Support Enterprises and requested for a bodyguard to be on your side 24 hours a day."

"Thank you very much," Grace thanked Catherine before she asked Sheryl and whispered to her. "Were you scared from that person back there?"

Sheryl replied and sighed softly. "Lylith..."

"Don't let that man's ranting get into your head, alright?"

"Okay, Grace."

The driver of the Phantom saw that Marc gave a thumbs up after he turned on the ignition of his motorbike. He then gave a thumbs up in return.

"Let's go." Catherine told the driver.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

February 26, 2059

Cafeteria, Mihoshi Academy, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Mikhail was about to sit down and have a snack after classes were over for the day when he read the news on his personal mobile phone that there was attempt on Sheryl at the Frontier Spaceport.

"Never expected this to happen," Mikhail said to himself when he read that the offender had been arrested with the FPB taking the credit for it.

"Hey, Mikhail. What are you doing?"

The glasses-wearing student turned to the side to see a girl, who happens to be very, very short in terms of height, right next to him. She had long blue hair and pointy ears while wearing the female Mihoshi Academy school uniform, though the pinkish color indicates that she's a year above Mikhail and the other students in his class and the rest of his batch. Right now, she was staring at Mikhail to see what he was looking at through his phone.

"Nice to see you, Klan Klang." Mikhail smirked at his childhood friend. "Hopefully the others won't think that I'm some kind of molestor or something."

_Klan Klang (Megumi Toyoguchi/Maryke Hendrikse)_

"Mikhaill..." Klan was upset by Mikhail's joke and was about to burst into anger when the part-time SMS contractor raised his hands. _Please don't tempt me to kill him. Please don't tempt me to kill him for making fun of my macronized height._

"Okay, okay. I give, just don't hurt me." Mikhail chuckled. "Besides, there's something I've been reading up on."

"Is it about the attempted assault on Sheryl Nome?" Klan asked him, opting to sit down next to him. The Zentradi felt relieved that she can sit down for at least a few minutes.

"Yeah. Someone called TruthSeeker confirmed her arrival on the net despite the big media outlets not announcing it until later."

Klan frowned when she heard the name. "Did Luca or the others put you up to this?"

"Not at all." Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "I only got the info 'cause I wanted to test out his reputation. A lot of the guys in my class mentioned about his rep on the net."

"Anything else on the assault on the pop star?" Klan decided to drop the topic and ask about the arrival of Sheryl.

"Her protection detail's being handled by the Almighty Support Enterprises." Mikhail said as he browsed through the article until he read the company's name on it. "Although the article did say that the FPB's PSD is going to handle it together with them whenever she's in public."

"Hey, isn't he..."

"Last I heard, he got a job there. I just don't know what he's going to be doing."

Mikhail received a SMS alert on his mobile phone, indicating that he is needed in SMS Headquarters right away.

"Sorry that I can't entertain you any longer, Klan. But HQ's calling for me." Mikhail said before he chuckled to grab his bag and stood up from his seat.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go." Klan sighed and waved him off. "I'll be fine from here."

* * *

February 26, 2059

Unknown Location

* * *

**INITIATE BOOTUP SEQUENCE...**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**BOOTUP SEQUENCE. LOGIN COMPLETED.**

A black screen flickered on. Some moments later, three names appeared on it. The names consisted of Wōdanaz, Freyja and Tiwaz.

**"**MAY THE FATHER OF UNDERSTANDING GUIDE US...**!" **Wōdanaz began, his digitally distorted male voice booming when he spoke up.

**"**MAY THE FATHER OF UNDERSTANDING GUIDE US**!" **Freyja and Tiwaz replied in unison, their voices sligtly altered digitally, although the former is clearly voiced by a woman with the other by a male with a much younger voice as a way of telling him apart from Wōdanaz.

**"How goes the preparations on Frontier?"** Wōdanaz asked the two as their meeting began.

Freyja was the first to reply to Wōdanaz. **"Things are going smoothly right now, despite the news of some anti-Sheryl youngster who did try to assault Fairy 9."**

**"What? Was he killed?"**

**"No. Fairy 9's bodyguard from the Almighty Support Enterprises was quick to apprehend him alongside close protection officers from the PSD."**

**"Tiwaz, has there been any complications with NUN forces so far?"**

It was Tiwaz's turn to speak after Freyja had said her piece. **"Nothing complicated as far as I can tell, sir. Everything's been set up prior to her visit in the Frontier colony aside from the incident report I got from the FPB that details about the assault at the spaceport."**

**"Blast it!" **Wōdanaz was clearly upset by the turn of events that he heard. **"The last thing we need is for her to be killed by someone who can ruin all of our plans!"  
**

**"I can assure you that this is an isolated incident. Social media sites and forum boards from her fans are pouring out support for her with other messages are showing signs of condemnation towards the attempted assault. The FPB has the Criminal Investigation Bureau investigating it as we speak."**

**"Good work. Make sure that they don't leave anything out."**

**"Understood, sir."**

**"It seems that the others couldn't make it in time for this meeting. No matter, we'll cut this short for now."**

**"I'll report as soon as I can if anything changes with Fairy 9, **Wōdanaz**."**

**"Understood, Freyja. As we end the meeting, let the father of understanding help guide us to our goals," **Wōdanaz said before he first ended his connection. **"May the father of understanding guide us."**

**"May the father of understanding guide us..." **Freyja and Tiwaz said in unison before they too ended their connection.

**ENDING SESSION...**

The black screen flickered on for a few seconds after the three connections ended before it was eventually turned off.

* * *

February 26, 2059

Briefing Room, Strategic Military Services Headquarters, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Now wearing his official SMS uniform, including jacket, Mikhail took his seat with a few other young SMS contractors. He adjusted his glasses and saw on the whiteboard that the operation name was written up for Sheryl's debut concert in Frontier. So far, he counted around three to four, including himself.

_Strange. Just a few of us._

"Operation..." Mikhail looked at the whiteboard carefully after he made that the lenses of his glasses were focused on it so that he can read the removable black ink carefully. "Sagittarius 9 PM?"

Henry was the first to enter the briefing to see that everyone called in for the briefing session was just either loitering near their seats or were now seated in their respective seats.

"Okay everyone! Attention! Major Lee's going to lead the briefing!"

All the SMS contractors stood up at attention and saluted a man in his late 20s with black hair in a ponytail and unshaved chin. He was seen in his SMS uniform with some folders tucked underneath his left armpit.

_Ozma Lee (Katsuyuki Konishi/John Michael Tatum)_

"Alright, Major Lee. They're all here." Henry greeted the man and briefly saluted him.

"Thank you, Captain Gilliam. I'll begin the debriefing." Ozma saluted Henry back briefly before he moved to the wooden podium right next to the whiteboard. He then placed the folders on a small table next to the podium.

"All right..." Ozma started the debriefing after the contractors sat down. "You're all aware that Mr. Bilrer has agreed to a request from Frontier Records, courtesy of Frontier Entertainment Corporation, that they wanted to recruit SMS contractors who have experience in handling EX-GEAR suits for Sheryl Nome's debut concert here in the Frontier fleet."

All of the contractors, including Henry and Mikhail, nodded in reply.

"Good. Then I don't need to explain the fine details of this little operation we're doing for the Galactic Fairy's fans," Ozma said before he continued on. "Basically, those with EX-GEAR suit experience are going to be selected for the concert, but only those who are highly skilled and are either still in high school or are in college slash university. But the government wants to also select those who have prior experience from pilot training courses in the various schools in order to make it a joint effort."

Mikhail heard what Ozma had mentioned. _Looks like the Princess is going to be there with me. He's got good scores in the aptitude tests, so the government would select him from the roster of candidates from the civilian field._

"Excuse me, sir." A SMS contractor raised his hand, who was seated at the back of the briefing room.

"What is it?" Ozma figured out some of the contractors may have some questions in mind.

"Is the joint effort done to make Frontier look good before the media?"

Ozma was a bit surprised to hear the question. The contractor was being direct.

"Honestly, I don't know," The ex-NUNS Spacy officer replied before he tapped his knuckles on the whiteboard behind him. "Though your suggestion may not be incorrect on that mark, but we're not paid to ponder on these things. Right now, we're suppose to be doing the job since our client made this request. They want to give the fans a good time in the upcoming debut concert. Let's not disappoint them when the time comes."

"Sir," The contractors said in unison before or after they nodded, understanding Ozma's instructions.

Henry then spoke up next. "Be sure to take the folders from the table near Major Lee when you leave. It has further details on when and where you guys need to meet up and what you need to do before the start of Ms. Nome's concert on March 2. That clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The contractors shouted back in unison.

"That's all for now. We'll have another debriefing tomorrow after the government gives word to us on who the other performers are from the civilian sector and from Frontier Records on how the concert is suppose to be handled." Ozma reminded the contractors as they got their folders. "Apologies for making this short, everyone."

"They're never this quick." One of the contractors mumbled as he left the briefing room.

"That's what PMCs like us exist after the end of SWI, especially with the NUN forces being created from the remnants of the UN military. With the additional problem of red tape, they'll have a hard time working this out..." Another contractor said his thoughts out loud to his colleague after he walked out.

Mikhail was the last one to leave, taking the folder with him before he departed the briefing room.

* * *

February 26, 2059

En route to Frontier Records Building, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Marc's K1600GT drove alongside a PSD 2058 Tata Pr1ma sedan in escorting the Phantom away from the spaceport, having just arrived on the main highway. The light grey metallic sedan had the red and blue emergency siren lights, attached behind the grille, turned on so that civilians can know that a VIP convoy is coming up in order to get the path cleared up with vehicles parking on the right side of the road to give them priority. The FPB didn't provide any motorcycle escort since Sheryl was in Frontier as a pop singer and not some kind of important VIP like the head of state coming to visit the place and see some politicians.

_At least we're going to get to the destination a bit faster. _

The ASE agent mused to himself when he drove the motorbike at a regular pace to allow the unmarked PSD sedan to go ahead of him. When they drove off the highway to the nearest exit ramp, which led them to Island 1's downtown area. After all, he didn't want to give the wrong impression that the company itself is fully taking charge of the Galactic Fairy's close protection detail away from the police.

As the small convoy got closer and closer to the downtown core, Marc looked from the visor of his motorbike helmet to see crowds of teenagers and adults in their 20s cheering for Sheryl, some of them waving signs and banners, to welcome her first visit to the colony fleet. Thankfully, the FPB has deployed uniformed officers, seen on horses from its mounted unit, with anti-riot officers on crowd control duties and traffic enforcement officers directing the crowds to move along and/or redirect vehicles away from the closed streets that are used for the PSD convoy. Barriers were used on close off sidewalks in order to ensure that the crowds don't spill off into the streets in case someone gets pushed off the sidewalk by accident.

_Anti-riot and mounted officers are on full force today alongside those from the motorcycle unit. Looks like the president's going all out to give a good welcome.  
_

A few FPB police motorcycles were present to ensure that the route to Frontier Records was cleared of all vehicles until the PSD convoy can safely go drive down the road and reach their destination.

**"Arriving at destination in two minutes."**

The motorbike's female GPS voice indicated to Marc that he was almost near the Frontier Records building. It was a good thing too that his helmet has bluetooth built into it, which means that he can hear the GPS voice without loosing focus.

The Pr1ma began to decelerate as the convoy began to make its approach towards the building's inverted U-shaped driveway. It later parked on the side, being adjacent to the main entrance. Marc later parked his K1600GT on the curb in front of the double glass doors that served as the main entrance.

Once the Phantom was parked on the curb behind the Pr1ma, the four close protections officers got out of the latter and secured the entrance of Frontier Records's building, which serves as the only branch of the colony fleet.

"Here goes." Marc kept his helmet in a storage case attached at the rear of the motorbike before he checked to make sure the kickstand was down. Once that was done, the ASE agent moved in as Catherine opened the Phantom's door, allowing Grace to leave first. She was then followed by Sheryl.

A few members of the press snapped pictures or made videos of Grace and Sheryl walking towards the building entrance. Marc took the lead in escorting the two women inside. Catherine followed behind Sheryl with the PSD officers walking alongside Catherine and Sheryl once building security guards took over from them by providing crowd control to prevent any bystanders and unaccredited media personnel from trying to sneak inside. Only those with media ID tags issued by the FPB were allowed inside.

* * *

February 26, 2059

Lobby, Frontier Records Building, San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

"Welcome, Ms. Nome." A Caucasian man with brown combed hair in his 30s with a grey suit and tie, blue necktie and white dress shirt, greeted the Galactic Fairy by shaking her hand when she showed up at the lobby. "I appreciate your presence in Frontier Records. This will be a big day for us since we'll be able to officially put your next album out for release tomorrow with a ceremony."

"Thank you, Mr. President." Sheryl accepted the greeting from the head of Frontier Records and shook his hand. "I'm glad to have this opportunity to actually witness the official release of my latest album to my fans here in Frontier."

"And I do apologize for the incident that happened at the spaceport on behalf of the company. I hope that it won't deter you from enjoying your visit in Frontier..."

The press began to take pictures and record videos of the two as they shook hands while they continued to exchange pleasantries with one another.

"Ms. Grace," Marc asked Sheryl's talent manager as the two stood on the sidelines alongside Catherine as the former's presence was not required for the time being. The two female PSD close protection officers were present as they were behind the pop star.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Chua?" Grace asked the ASE agent, waiting to see what he needed her attention for.

"Will Ms. Nome be all right?" Marc shot the question to Grace about his client. "I mean, she was almost humiliated by an anti-Sheryl person in public at the Frontier Spaceport a few hours ago despite the fact that she's fine and isn't making a big fuss about it."

Grace thought about the agent's legitimate concerns for a few seconds.

_Okay... Now I may not be able to get a..._

"You don't have to be concerned about Ms. Nome's state of mind." Grace reassured the young man.

"Are you sure, Ms. 'O Connor?" Marc felt that the manager's words were not that convincing enough. "I apologize if I sound too nozy for you, but it's in my company's interest if Ms. Nome would allow me to assess her security again in Frontier..."

"You may not know about this..." Grace began to explain to Marc as Sheryl and the president of Frontier Records posed for the media. "But Ms. Nome has gone through similar incidents in the past when she was very young and trust me, she is much stronger than you think she is."

"I just wish that you're right on the mark, Miss 'O Connor."

_For both our sakes, I hope Sheryl Nome isn't going to be affected by that incident in the spaceport._

* * *

February 26, 2059

En route to Blanc Apartment, Shibuya Area, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Being done for the day, Mikhail had read the news from his personal mobile phone that Sheryl had arrived at Frontier and was safe after an attempted altercation was foiled by a bodyguard dispatched by the ASE alongside PSD close protection officers.

_Damn it. Of the many things that can happen. _

Mikhail couldn't help but wonder what made the suspect do such a thing, considering that Frontier has one of the largest Sheryl Nome fanclubs among the immigration fleets in the Milky Way.

From what the part-time contractor had found out from public information released by the FPB, the suspect was a full-time university student who had just entered the Frontier Institute of Technology under its BS Computer Security course. So far, the FPB's CIB had investigated his background and found that there was nothing unusual about his mental state of mind. Furthermore, initial interviews with FIT students and faculty have suggested that the suspect wouldn't be able to do such a thing, being known to be a responsible and kind student.

Because of this, the FPB has called in the Security and Intelligence Bureau aka the Special Branch to assist their colleagues in the CIB to check on the suspect's background even more, including family background checks. So far, the FPB commented that his name won't be released due to "privacy laws" that do not allow them to release a suspect's name until the investigation is complete or the chief warrants the release of the suspect's name to the public, depending on the circumstances at hand.

The public mobile phone Mikhail acquired from Griffith Park had a beeping tone for a few seconds, which indicated that he got a message.

"Better remind myself to put this mobile phone on vibration mode." The blond teenager reminded himself as he got to the phone's settings to select Vibrate Mode after he placed it in Silent Mode.

After the phone was placed in Silent and Vibrate Modes, Mikhail saw that it received a SMS message in the inbox. He decided to open it and see what it was about.

**It seems that you've been able to secure this phone, Mikhail Blanc.**

Mikhail was a bit alarmed. He looked around to see if anyone was conducting surveillance on him. But he couldn't find anyone suspicious since most of the pedestrians were either minding their own business or were simply talking with someone else. He wondered if the mysterious caller knew about him 'cause he was wearing his SMS jacket.

He then received another SMS message, which he opened again.

**We know who you are, Mikhail. Student in Mihoshi Academy under the Pilot Training Course and a part-time contractor for the Strategic Military Services...**

_Dammit... _Mikhail kept walking down the street, knowing that whoever was sending him these SMS messages are probably keeping a close on him. _How do they know these details about me beside the guys from class and from SMS? Don't tell me that my bio's leaked out from SMS somewhere?_

**In case you're wondering, my associates and I didn't make contact with anyone from your school or from SMS.**

Mikhail decided to force the question from these people by sending out a SMS message to the unregistered mobile phone number after he read up on the latest message.

**Who the hell are you and how you do know about my life?**

The blond teen didn't wait for the message since he decided to walk as fast as he can, making the decision to get out of the street as much as possible, not knowing if the mysterious contact is a friend or foe. He placed the phone in his right pants pocket for now.

_It's like these guys have been keeping an eye on me ever since I left SMS HQ... Whoever they are, their intelligence capabilities are probably good to rival even intelligence agencies from the FPB or from NUNS._

A minute later, he got another SMS. He decided to indulge the person trying to contact him and read his message.

**Let's just say that we have a mutual interest. We were told that you'd like to solve the mystery of your older sister, Jessica Blanc.**

"What?"

Mikhail murmured as he read that his mysterious contact had a shared interest with him. As he was getting near his apartment, the next message that he got shocked him.

_Just who's the mystery man behind all of this?_

**TruthSeeker has told us that you requested for his help in solving the case. As such, we will assist you in resolving it with any means necessary.**

Chapter 1 END

* * *

PS - Hello to everyone and thanks for reading this chapter. This is a first for me to head back to fanfic writing in 2014 due to personal issues, most of them related to health reasons while I have been studying Japanese again as of late after a "talk" that wasn't a talk at all since my parents are frustrated a bit with me a few months ago. For personal reasons, I won't elaborate on the matter in order to let it rest. In that period, I had little to no time to get back to writing fanfiction once more and finish what I started.

Also, I am aware that writing more than two fanfic stories will potentially set things back since I may not be able to concentrate on my writings and finish them off properly before I consider leaving the fanfic scene, with the exception of "The Stories" since it's more of a side project than anything. Which is why I decided to do this as an experiment to see if I can do a Macross Frontier story with technothriller writing thrown in the mix since I love that genre. It's also an attempt to jumpstart my writing part in the brain to get back into the rhythm as well.

Anyway, I hope that I can some interest with you readers with regards to the concept of the story. A hint that I can say is that one franchise crossed over with MF is from Ubisoft. It should be easy to figure it out from the story. He he. I have another one coming up (if I can keep going that is), but I won't say what franchise it is to keep it a secret. And maybe a surprise or two.

In case people are wondering where I got the dates as shown, it's from Sketchley's site courtesy of the Macross Compendium from various linear notes released on MF DVDs/Blu-Rays IIRC. Note the way that I introduce the characters (at least those from Frontier for now in this chapter onwards) is in the style of the Metal Gear series from Solid onwards with the name of the character is shown alongside the voice actor's name in both Japanese and English. I have a hard time doing the English one since I can't tell who can do a good job for... let's say, Mikhail or Sheryl. I'm trying my best on this one, but it's not like I can tell who has a good voice role with whom with the Frontier cast (again... mostly) aside from hearing/listening from their past performances in other stuff the VAs voiced in English, especially since it's my own idea for this fic on an ideal cast provided that the geography for North American voice actors is not a problem. -_-;;

Title is from a title sung by the band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Please drop a review or two and let me know what you think about this story idea. Do let me know if I made a mistake somewhere regarding canon stuff. This idea's been in my heads for weeks now. The only thing I refuse to tolerate is personal flames for no reason.

Before I go, I must let you readers know that I'm not sure when I can update again since I need to leave for Canada to pack whatever things I can bring home since my old man is going to sell the house that I lived in from 2007 to 2014. If anything, an update to this or "Hostages" and "Peacekeepers" may come in July.


	2. New Days

Macross Frontier: Conspiracy

Disclaimer:

Going to add further that any other fiction stuff (characters, concepts, weapons, etc.) that don't belong to Macross Frontier or to me are under the copyright of their respective authors/holders. So there. Don't sic the pack of lawyers on me, okay. Thanks a lot and have a good day.

Chapter 2: New Days

* * *

February 28, 2059

Bedroom, Penthouse Floor #1, Almighty Support Enterprises Frontier Headquarters, San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Today was a normal, average Friday for everyone in _Macross Frontier_. But today was not an average day for Marc Chua.

Ever since he was appointed as the official bodyguard of pop star Sheryl Nome, it meant that he was needed to be on 24/7 duty. This also meant that he needs to take leave from school if Sheryl needs his presence, even though being a private military contractor was only meant to be a temporary job.

_So tired from that long press conference she gave. _

Marc was on the king-size bed, still sleeping after a long night in his red pajamas with blinders that covered his eyes. Even in his sleep, he was also complaining about the long hours that he did.

_Maybe I should've chosen another part-time job again to get away from this gig. Even though Mikhail told me to get this one. But I just find it that my guardian, who happens to be the head of ASE's Frontier branch, happily accepted my application.  
_

The contractor and student was content to sleep for the entire morning. Which is why that his smartphone was switched off. He couldn't care less if Grace or Sheryl herself would call her. He just wanted to be left alone. It was also a good thing that there wasn't any classes today due to a teacher's convention that required all of them somewhere in another Island to attend it.

The teen was fast asleep that he didn't notice two people had entered his room.

"Sheryl," Grace whispered to the pop star. "I still don't think that this is a very good idea to visit Mr. Chua's room. We're invading his privacy..."

"I know, Grace," Sheryl whispered back to her manager. "But this is something that I can't afford to pass up. Besides, I am curious to see what his room looks like despite the fact that he's a part-time security contractor with the ASE."

Grace groaned, knowing that Marc will probably yell at them for whatever Sheryl is planning to do. _That girl..._

Sheryl was now in front of the king-size bed. She looked at the sleeping student/contractor with a smirk on her face.

_Here goes. _She inhaled and exhaled her breath for a few seconds before she shouted, "HEY! WAKE UP!"

When Marc heard the shout, he was jolted awake. Unfortunately for him, he almost forgot that his blinders still covered his eyes.

"Ah, crap! We're under attack!" The young man removed the blinders as fast as he can. Unfortunately, he got his legs tangled up in the blanket that he tumbled over to the floor, his arms hitting it first after he tried to get up. "Dammit!"

It didn't help that his eyes refuse to cooperate in opening up.

The pop star's manager sighed in frustration, putting her right hand on her face as she began to wonder how she can handle the potential fallout from Sheryl's antics.

"Well, I hope you're happy, Sheryl."

"That's not fair. He provided me with some entertainment and I was able to test something..."

Marc began to get up slowly from the floor, palms pressed on the floor to push his body up.

"Ladies... If you don't leave by the count of ten, I am about to do something very unpleasant that you wish that you didn't try and wake me up like that."

Grace quickly pushed Sheryl out of the bodyguard's room. The manager was not willing to test how far the pop star's own bodyguard was willing to go to make his point.

* * *

February 28, 2059

Rooftop/EX-Gear runway, Mihoshi Academy, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Mikhail was the first to arrive at the rooftop of Mihoshi Academy after the gates to the school opened up. He timed himself to have at least less than 30 minutes to practice his movements while wearing MA-issued EX-Gear in preparation for Sheryl's big debut concert. He was also placed in charge of ensuring everyone selected for the concert performance is able to secure their own EX-Gear and are also qualified to handle them.

_Good thing the school allowed me and the others taking part in the concert to have these suits. _The blond teenager went to work by conducting stretches with his arms. It was certainly an issue for those who wear the powered suit, being cumbersome to move. It was very handy for various PMCs to use them in drills and exercises as a form of punishment by not operating the suit in full power.

"Good thing I'm not one to break the rules in SMS a lot or I'd have to wear an EX-Gear with its internal power turned off." Mikhail did recall a few incidents when he saw new recruits, most of them from the civilian sector, get into trouble with their instructors for breaking a lot of rules that were not considered troublesome for them.

After he did the arm stretches, Mikhail went to concentrate on stretching his legs by doing squats and holding it for a minute. When a minute was over, he would stand straight to straighten his legs before he did another squat.

"I didn't receive a call from TruthSeeker a few minutes ago." He checked the smartphone he left on the bench in front of him. "He's probably busy with school, just like me."

Previously, he got a SMS from him that mentions his involvement in getting his hands on a MPC report on the death of Jessica. However, the information broker said that it was only in the initial stages because of a MPC counter-intelligence sweep, targeting on hackers and other unauthorized access towards the death report. He apologized to Mikhail and told him of a possible delay for a few days.

_I never expected NUNS' Military Police to conduct a sweep against anyone who wanted to get their hands on the report, even though JAG said that her death wasn't reported as a criminal case. _He frowned after he read that SMS message. _But why do that anyway? I thought the MPC declared it to be a close case? So what's with the interest?_

With the squats over, Mikhail checked the smartphone and noted that time was almost up.

"I better raise the issue with TruthSeeker again." Mikhail looked over the railing and noticed some of his classmates entering the school grounds. "I find that message to be of great concern to me."

* * *

February 28, 2059

Dining Room, Penthouse Floor #1, Almighty Support Enterprises Frontier Headquarters, San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Grace could clearly remember how Marc yelled at Sheryl for rudely waking him up and getting inside his room without his explicit permission. Grace apologized and said that she'll take responsibility on behalf of the talent agency back in _Macross Galaxy _if she has to.

_This couldn't have taken a bad turn. _The woman took a seat at an empty dining room chair, trying to figure out how not to get on his bad side that during his angry rant, he was ready to ditch his ASE duties to be her bodyguard if Sheryl would continue to keeps her antics up.

"Grace." The strawberry blonde teen huffed when she stared at Grace. "You know that I was just kidding, right? That guy just needs to lighten up once in a while. I just noted that he always look so serious when I did my press conference at Frontier Records."

For today, Sheryl wore a light yellow blazer jacket with a red pencil skirt and high heels. Her Oversized shades were seen on top of her head, the temple and temple tips placed on her ears. Grace, on the other hand, wore the same green pantsuit and pencil skirt when she first came to _Macross Frontier_.

"Besides, I was trying to do him a favor."

The blue-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "A favor, Sheryl?"

"Yeah, a favor." Sheryl boasted her answer when she placed her hands on her hips.

"Just what kind of favor are you trying to get from Mr. Chua?"

"I heard a lot of things about ASE. Especially since it's considered to be an elite multinational specialist company that helps its clients solve their problems, no matter what the cost or how hard the situation is."

_That certainly is correct_. Grace already knew about the reputation ASE had, which dates back from its establishment in the 20th century. What made the company different from the other specialist companies that handles troubleshooting for clients who need their help is with the recruitment of various operatives, specializing in various fields with a 100 percent completion rate.

But by the end of Space War I, ASE has further diversified their portfolio that they have ventured into security and VIP protection while retaining their client specialist troubleshooting portfolio.

"If Mr. Chua is going to be my bodyguard for the duration of my story throughout _Frontier _until we can go back to _Galaxy_, then I have to make sure that he's on his toes 24/7."

"But Sheryl, I don't think walking in to his room and shouting at the top of your voice is a way to check his skills. After all, he is human like all of us. We do need to get some time off to rest."

Grace and Sheryl were interrupted when Marc showed up at the dining room. He almost had the same clothes that he used yesterday, except that he wore an ordinary NUNS shirt since today wasn't that cold.

"I was told that her interview wasn't scheduled to be until early in the afternoon." Marc scratched the back of his head before he yawned.

"That part is true, Mr. Chua," Grace agreed with Marc's assessment. "But there was a shuffle in the schedule of 97.1 Cool FM."

"One of the regular programs scheduled in the morning was canceled due to the sudden illness of one of the regular DJs involved," Sheryl explained with a smug grin on her face. "So I was informed that my interview was moved at 11:30 in the morning from 1:00 in the afternoon."

Marc went to check his smartphone after he booted it up. When he looked at the main screen, he noted two new SMS messages that came from the ASE.

_Dammit. Must've been sent to me in the morning. _

He kept the phone on his belt clip, reminding himself to look at them later. "Unless you two are willing to stick around and ask why someone working for the ASE has a residence in said building, I may as well make sure you ladies get to your next destination."

* * *

February 28, 2059

Ozma Lee's Office, Strategic Military Services Headquarters, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Ozma was in his office in SMS's HQ when Gilliam presented himself.

"Reporting in as requested, sir." Gilliam saluted Ozma when he entered the former's office.

"Thanks for seeing me on short notice." Ozma saluted Gilliam back. After the latter entered, the sliding door opened and closed. The ex-NUNS officer had closed the door to make sure no one interrupts their meeting.

"It's fine. I have little work to do," Gilliam replied before he asked his superior. "Is there something that you need to see me about?"

"Indeed I do." Ozma closed the curtains behind him.

_Okay. Why are we doing this cloak and dagger stuff? _The man couldn't help, but wonder about his superior's purpose in maintaining a lot of secrecy, even in his own office.

"Sorry about that." Ozma took his seat in front of his desk. "Don't want the NUNS or SHIELD to be snooping around since what I'm about to tell you is very secret."

Gilliam swallowed his saliva before he said, "You mean... the Vajra?"

"Yeah, but there's more than that. The reason why I called you here is that I need to ensure a secret of mine is kept in case something happens to me." Ozma leaned back on his chair after he said his piece.

"Is... is it about Ranka?" Gilliam just stared at Ozma, wondering what he was going to say. "It's no big secret with her adoption papers and all. Heck, even most of the guys in the company know that you adopted her after you found out about her mom's death years ago."

"But that's just it. There's more to it than why I adopted Ranka."

Ozma handed to Gilliam a compact disc inside a tinted compact disc case.

"I understand." Gilliam got the CD case and kept it in one of his jacket's interior pockets for safekeeping.

"Gilliam, make sure to keep that safe." Ozma cracked the knuckles on his hands. "I bet you with my fingers that there's going to be a lot of interest if people learn of Ranka and her conditions, given with those bugs out there in space."

"Don't worry, Major." Gilliam's face remained calm despite the news Ozma told him. "I'll keep this safe and sound from the buggers before they can lay a hand on Ranka."

* * *

February 28, 2059

Radio Studio Room #2, WFB-FM Building, San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Sheryl was inside one of the radio studio rooms of WFB-FM 97.1 Wave Jam FM, where she got ready for the upcoming interview after she placed her headset on with the assistance of one of the studio engineers. Grace was nowhere to be seen, her presence needed in Frontier Records to prepare for the upcoming concert.

For now, Marc was told by Grace to make sure the Galactic Fairy is safe and sound throughout her interview.

After preparations were complete, the engineers gave the thumbs up to the DJ, who was a female in her mid 20s with Southeast Asian features and long black hair in a ponytail with a white San Francisco Area shirt, jeans and rubber shoes. She too had her headset on as well.

**"Your Campus Radiooo..!" **The DJ began to play a recorded track on the airwaves, which was the radio station's tagline. **"Jane Spinner! WFB-FMMMMMM!"  
**

**"This is DJ Jane Spinner saying a very good morning to all of our listeners!" **The DJ smiled at Sheryl and gave a thumbs up as she spoke onto the microphone in front of her. **"This is 97.1 WFB-FM. Apologies for the sudden change in our programming for this morning. DJ David's in the hospital due to food poisoning, so we won't be able to air _Top 20 Hits_ for the meantime. The good news is that he's getting better and he should be back here in the studio by the end of this week."**

A recorded track was played again, this time with the sounds of applause from people clapping their hands.

**"And in the studio today, we have a very special guest today who's gracing us with her presence. In Frontier is the lovely Galactic Fairy, Ms. Sheryl Nome."**

The same track was played again, only this time Sheryl smiled and clapped her hands too.

**"Thank you so much for hosting me in the studio, Jane." **Sheryl spoke onto the microphone after she finished clapping her hands. **"I'm very happy that the listeners of Wave Jam are listening in to my interview. I hope that I do get a chance to interact with the fans..."**

* * *

February 28, 2059

Outside Radio Studio Room #2, WFB-FM Building, San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Marc kept an eye on Sheryl as the interview started in the building for 97.1 Wave Jam. As much as he's a fan of the radio station for broadcasting old and new pop, rock, techno and trance hits, he opted to not listen to the radio since he has a "live seat" in front of the studio room. He was seen in the corridor with his back on the wall. He chose not to take a seat, the benches being next to him.

Not to mention that he can see Sheryl from outside. If he can see her, it means that she can see him too.

_Least I may not be bored listening to Sheryl's interview_. Marc adjusted the radio frequency on the portable two-way radio clipped on his belt. In a few minutes, he was needed to check in with his superior in the ASE to determine Sheryl's current location.

**"This is Control to Fulcrum, I need an update on Fairy's status."**

Marc heard the encrypted transmission from ASE on the earpiece. He looked left and right on the corridor and saw no one was around, except for the surveillance cameras mounted on the wall.

With the throat mike on and working, the PTT button strapped on the left side of his belt. The wires were hidden thanks to his jacket, which made him less suspicious to the public eye.

**"Fulcrum to Control," **Marc replied on the mike. **"Fairy is doing well in the interview, live as we speak. Over."**

Everything was silent on the transmission for a few seconds. When he looked at the studio room, Sheryl was seen waving at him.

_I guess the show's having a break._

He sighed and waved back when he heard another transmission.

**"Fulcrum, be advised that the President is sending someone over to the WFB-FM building as we speak. We've been told that you need to work with said person again."**

Marc felt that he might be familiar with the person.** "Is this person someone I know, Control? I don't want to work with someone who's going to be a potential pain in the ass again."**

He suddenly heard some faint footsteps in the corridor. When he heard this, he turned to the side and saw a very familiar person in NUNS military uniform.

**"I believe she will be, Fulcrum. She should be a familiar sight to you by now. Remember, you need to work with her. She's the liaison with the Frontier government for Fairy until she leaves _Frontier _for _Galaxy_."**

Catherine was not surprised to see Marc doing his bodyguard duties in the Frontier colony.

**"After all, President Glass personally made the call to the ASE himself."**

_I'm really going to hate those guys back at ASE. _**"Understood, Control. I'll go and speak to her as soon as I can. Hopefully, this'll be a cakewalk for me. Over and out."**

"Morning, Lieutenant Glass." Marc greeted the NUNS officer after he ended the transmission with ASE HQ. "Ms. Nome is resuming her interview for WFB-FM as we speak."

"Then it's a good thing that I didn't miss anything." Catherine gestured to the security guard that he can leave now. "It seems that things have started ahead of the usual schedule that I had a few weeks ago."

"It's my understanding that you were suppose to be here first before I was due to arrive with the VIP." The young man resumed his duties as the interview was now underway again.

"I know that," Catherine sighed when she took an empty seat near him. "but I was told a few minutes that Ms. Nome has her schedule changed. I heard on the radio that it was due to one of the DJs having a case of food poisoning."

"Well at least you can tell the president that the Fairy is in safe hands with the ASE." Marc yawned and kept an eye on his wristwatch for a time check. _So tired._

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Catherine got up from her seat. "Since her interview may be long, I'll go and get some coffee."

"Sure. Knock yourself out."

* * *

February 28, 2059

Unknown Location

* * *

**INITIATE BOOTUP SEQUENCE...**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**BOOTUP SEQUENCE. LOGIN COMPLETED.**

After the black screen flickered on once more, the names of Wōdanaz, Freyja and Tiwaz showed up on it as the only ones present. A conference was now taking place in the digital airwaves.

**"MAY THE FATHER OF UNDERSTANDING GUIDE US...!"** Wōdanaz started the meeting by reciting out loud the motto of the group like he did at their last meeting.**  
**

**"MAY THE FATHER OF UNDERSTANDING GUIDE US!"** Freyja and Tiwaz responded together in unison in reciting the motto.**  
**

**"Let us begin this meeting. I apologize for starting at such short notice since I was informed that the others could not join us at this time from _Galaxy_." **Wōdanaz started the meeting with Freyja and Tiwaz, with frustration hinted in his digital voice. **"I'm still working with them so that we can establish communications and hopefully, they can join with us on future meetings."**

**"I do wish to make something clear with our agents in the Frontier-based NUNS forces as we speak." **Tiwaz volunteered to speak to Wōdanaz and Freyja.

**"Really..?" **Wōdanaz was amused to see some initiative from Tiwaz. **"And what is it, if I may ask?"**

**"It's regarding the alliance we made with... that group." **Even when Tiwaz mentions his objection, he didn't show any signs of hesitation in his tone, even when digitally altered. **"Are you sure that it's wise to do so? I do remember that they were taken out by SHIELD when it was reformed under the aegis of the United Nations many years ago..."**

**"...after the end of the first Space War..."** Wōdanaz sarcastically finished Tiwaz's sentence. **"You should know that we are all familiar with the history of SHIELD. It's been public for years now."**

Freyja decided to intervene in the conversation before it goes off-topic. **"Gentlemen. Please. We mustn't derail the meeting if you two are going to continue being like that."**

**"Freyja has a point..." **Wōdanaz sighed and agreed with her. **"But I do take your suggestion very seriously, Tiwaz."**

**"Thank you, sir," **Tiwaz was grateful that he recognized his point.

**"I have received information that they are rebuilding again, this time very slowly under the public eye. I was told that they've learned from the mistakes of their predecessors."**

**"I hope that it is the case, Wōdanaz."**

**"Freyja, I want your report on Fairy 9. How is she doing in _Frontier _so far?" **Wōdanaz ignored Tiwaz's sarcastic comment and ordered Freyja to report in.

**"She's doing very well, Wōdanaz. Right now as I speak, she's being interview by WFB-FM as part of Frontier Records' public relations campaign to have her latest music released throughout the colony. Her popularity is rising, according to the latest polls released by FR."**

**"I see. I believe that we can use this to our advantage in the long run."**

**"Sir?"**

**"We can use her charisma as a pop star to help us gain control of _Frontier _step by step. Even if something should derail our plans, I always have a second plan ready for such a scenario."**

All was silent between the three digital avatars after Wōdanaz made his point.

**"Freyja." **Wōdanaz began to issue his order to Freyja. **"Keep an eye out for Fairy 9 before and after her concert. Let me know at once if something has happened. Even if it seems minor, I want your report on it."**

**"Understood, Wōdanaz."**

**"Tiwaz, I trust that you're able to get MPC to suppress any unauthorized access to the report I mentioned?"**

**"Yes, sir. The cover story I gave them was the _rumor_ that someone may try to break into MPC headquarters or hack into their database. I've gotten a progress report that says that all physical and electronic copies are safe."**

**"Excellent. That will teach those meddlesome bastards to not take us lightly." **Wōdanaz went to end their meeting. **"And this meeting is now concluded. We meet up again after a week for updates on Fairy and the progress of our agents embedded within NUNS forces."**

**"Understood, Wōdanaz!" **Freyja and Tiwaz replied in unison.

**"For now, let us end this meeting today. May the father of understanding guide us."**

**"May the father of understanding guide us."**

* * *

February 28, 2059

Outside Radio Studio Room #2, WFB-FM Building, San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Catherine returned back from her hunt of getting coffee for herself. She found Marc still waiting outside the studio room with the interview in progress.

"Found your coffee?" Marc asked Catherine, keeping his eye on the studio room glass to observe Sheryl.

"Yeah." Catherine sat down again and drank her coffee from the grande size paper cup with a cover on top of it. "So how's she doing?"

"She should be fine. Looks like the Fairy finishing wrapping up showcasing her old songs on the radio airwaves before getting to Q&amp;A with the fans."

Marc suddenly got another SMS message on his smartphone. "Give me a sec. Got another message."

When he read the contents of the SMS, he felt very frustrated at it. _Not another fanboy from the class._

Catherine looked concerned when she saw Marc looking very upset. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. Just got some SMS messages from my classmates when they found out that I'm the official bodyguard of Sheryl in _Frontier_ until the day she leaves."

"Really?" Catherine raised an eyebrow when she heard his answer. "I never saw you that frustrated before."

Marc didn't give Catherine a reply. Instead, he showed her the various messages on his smartphone's inbox.

**"Dude! Can u take a selfie with Sheryl?"**

**"Ur my nw bstfrnd if you got a pic with her."**

**"Can u ask 4 hr autogrph?"**

**"Marc! Ask d Fairy if she has a bf."**

**"A lot of guys r alrdy getting jealous that you're her bg."**

**"Yo! Ask hr to shw up at our schl! It'll be awesme!"**

Catherine giggled when she read the messages on his smartphone. She had to control herself from laughing out loud.

"What's so funny?" It was now Marc's turn to raise an eyebrow at the officer.

"Nothing." Catherine was able to calm herself down. "I sometimes forget that you're just a part-time security contractor with the ASE and really just a high school student."

"I sometimes wonder about that myself whenever I concentrate too much on the job." Marc holstered the smartphone back to the belt clip. "Hopefully the day would end after Ms. Nome's done with the interview in WFB-FM." He then continued to observe Sheryl from outside the studio. "I just hate people who want to be friends with me just for benefits on their end."

* * *

February 28, 2059

Computer Room, Mihoshi Academy, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

It was now lunch break. Mikhail took the first opportunity out to the cafeteria to get an early bite to eat from the cafeteria. He didn't join up with the other selected students from his class to practice with their EX-Gear suits.

Instead, he went to the nearest computer room. He was fortunate that no one was using the computers with a teacher on standby to help students or faculty in case they need help with using one.

_Let's hope he's around. He told me via SMS to make contact with him on the messenger again.  
_

The blond teen logged in with his own username and password, which resulted in a fast connection thanks to the school's good connection to the internet.

"Good..." Mikhail murmured. "He's online."

**TruthSeeker is requesting for a chat. **

**[Yes/No?]**

Mikhail responded to the prompt when he used the mouse to move the cursor on the screen. He then clicked the "Yes" prompt. A chat window then opened up, with a message already typed up by TruthSeeker.

**TruthSeeker: You're very prompt to talk to me if you needed something from me.**

**DaGreatestMan: Indeed I do, TruthSeeker.  
**

He waited to see what the information broker had to say, but he decided to ask first.

**DaGreatestMan: I heard that you're having a hard time gaining access to the MPC report that has details on my sister's death.**

Silence then lingered on the chat window for a few seconds. Mikhail saw TruthSeeker type out a reply.

**TruthSeeker: Apologies for that short notice. My associates and I are trying to wait a while since MPC is conducting sweeps against any form of unauthorized access.**

**DaGreatestMan: I thought that maybe you guys may have better equipment than them?**

Mikhail's reply to TruthSeeker was the first thing that came to his mind. After all, he assumed that the broker had better equipment and perhaps, some manpower to help him retrieve said report.

_If TruthSeeker says that his group is having an obstacle in securing the report on sister's death, then whoever's in power in Frontier has the power, resources and manpower to order the MPC to block off any unwanted access to it._

**TruthSeeker: That is true. But it seems that the enemy has expected this move. **

**DaGreatestMan: Then how can you secure the report?**

He felt worried with TruthSeeker's assessment on the situation with regards to his failed attempts to secure an inquiry report on Jessica Blanc. Does this mean that the bad guys have won and he has no choice, but to simply throw the towel and allow them to have their way?

**TruthSeeker: No need to worry. We have a mole in the MPC who can inform us when it's safe to get that report.**

**DaGreatestMan: How will you know?**

**TruthSeeker: He's a trustworthy one. He's also responsible for getting in and telling us when the time comes to move in, so it gives us a good position to secure it below their noses.**

TruthSeeker's reply was not very quick, but also confident. This somehow gave Mikhail more confidence to trust the information broker on his word. After all, he never breaks his word when he insist that his information is accurate. He also makes good on any promise that he makes.

**TruthSeeker: We'll monitor MPC comms to see if they'll stop with their counter-intelligence sweeps. For now, I'll operate under the assumption that someone influential within Frontier-based NUNS forces gave the said order. In the meantime, I'm preparing to send a package to your place. Expect it within the day. And before you ask, you'll know.  
**

The new reply had stunned Mikhail. He didn't even expect TruthSeeker to send him something. For all he knows, the mobile phone TruthSeeker covertly acquired for him was more than enough for the two to communicate with each other without anyone doing electronic surveillance on the young man's phone.

**DaGreatestMan: All right. Do I want to know what you're sending me?**

**TruthSeeker: No. And it's best if you didn't ask right now. It's for your own safety.**

**DaGreatestMan: Okay... I'll take you up on that.  
**

Mikhail looked at the wall clock and noted that he has half an hour before lunch break would end. He made a quick reply to TruthSeeker.

**DaGreatestMan: I wish to contact you again when it's possible. For now, I have to go.  
**

He then logged out of the messenger and deleted any logs that pertain to the conversation between him and TruthSeeker. It was better to be safe than sorry.

* * *

February 28, 2059

Outside Radio Studio Room #2, WFB-FM Building, San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Grace was escorted by a security guard when she arrived at the building. She was greeted by both Marc and Catherine when they spotted her arriving outside the studio room.

"Ms. Grace." Marc greeted Sheryl's manager. "I take it that things are doing well?"

"Yes." Grace smiled and nodded. "Thank you so much for keeping an eye on Sheryl for me while I was away at Frontier Records. The spokesperson wants to see me regarding the details on her upcoming concert."

"Not at all, ma'am. It's part of the job after all."

"Good to see you, Ms. 'O Connor." Catherine greeted the manager in turn.

"Hello, Lieutenant Glass. I humbly apologize for any inconvenience that has happened due to the sudden change in the radio station's schedule."

"It's all right. I'm just glad that's over earlier than usual."

Sheryl and the DJ got out of the studio after the program was finished. The two shook hands with each other.

"Thanks for handling the interview, Ms. Jane." Grace thanked Jane for handling Sheryl's interview.

"It's not a problem." The DJ smiled and thanked Grace. "I really enjoyed my time with Ms. Nome during the interview, especially with the Q&amp;A when she answers the fans' questions."

"Thanks a lot, Jane." Sheryl thanked the DJ after they finished shaking hands. "Are you going to cover the live concert as well?"

"Ah yes. We will be. But I'm not the one who's going to be the host of the event."

"All right. Thanks a lot. Do drop by the event, okay?"

"Sure. It's not a problem."

_At least this interview is going to be the only thing Sheryl's going to do for today. _Marc waited for Sheryl to finish her talk with the DJ and Grace. _At least by tomorrow, I can get some alone time._

"Mr. Chua." Grace approached him after she and Sheryl were done talking to the DJ. "Unless there's something else that has to be done here, we're going to be heading to the Tenkumon Park to oversee the preparations of the concert hall for the upcoming event on March 2."

"All right, ladies," Marc replied and nodded at Grace. "I'll have to go to the toilet and relieve myself. Excuse me."

Sheryl asked Grace when she saw her bodyguard enter the male toilet. "Is it just me or he just seems to be bored?"

"I believe that it has something to do with his friends." Catherine offered an answer to the pop star.

"What about them?" Sheryl asked the officer. _From the way he interacted with me and Grace so far as my bodyguard, I never expected him to go to school in Frontier._

"It has something to do with being... a friend for benefits."

Sheryl slowly nodded, knowing what Catherine said.

After Marc had left the toilet, the four proceeded down the main lobby and went off to the Beijing Area to proceed to the Tenkumon Park via limo provided by the PSD. The ASE bodyguard went ahead of the limo on his motorcycle.

He wore his helmet, got on the bike and looked around. He gestured to the limo driver after he visually confirmed that the path was clear.

* * *

February 28, 2059

Ozma Lee's Office, Strategic Military Services Headquarters, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

With Gilliam gone, Ozma reached out for the top drawer on his desk. Inside was an empty manila envelope, which was below a loaded JH Industries Tachi pistol. When the contractor pulled the slide to conduct a brass check, he saw that the sidearm was already loaded.

"Can't leave home or the office without this now." The ponytailed man holstered the pistol at his shoulder holster, located under his left armpit. The said holster was hidden from plain sight thanks to his official SMS windbreaker jacket.

He had long considered to be in grave danger, even after he was officially discharged from NUNS' space forces. He knew a lot about what had happened to Ranka's own family many years ago when he was assigned to protect the expeditionary fleet in space.

But adopted brother or not, he made a promise to himself that he would do everything he can to ensure Ranka's safety. And to see that the green-haired girl can live a normal life and move on from the tragedy.

_Let's check. _Ozma opened the curtains and peeked outside to see if anything was suspicious. _Better not be MPC, SHIELD or some conspiracy group out there.  
_

Ozma then closed the drawer and left his office. After the sliding door closed behind him, he entered his personal four digit code to get the door locked.

For now, Ozma needs to do his job as a hired contractor for SMS. But for Ranka, however, he was assigned to the company's human resources division.

* * *

February 28, 2059

Backstage, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Marc was the first one to enter the backstage of the Tenkumon Concert Hall alongside Catherine. After they noted that only concert hall personnel were the only ones present (with their IDs worn on their necks for security measures), the former gestured to Sheryl and Grace that they can proceed to the area.

"Looks like the backstage is doing nicely, even though the concert's only a few days from now," Grace commented when she saw most of the props and equipment needed for Sheryl's live concert already in the backstage. Space was allotted for the concert crew to store them until two days before the events would commence.

"But even at that, I still want to inspect the stage to see what it looks like." Sheryl said to Grace before she faced Marc. "You and Lieutenant Glass can stay here. I'll be with Grace since I need to inspect the stage."

"Knock yourself out." Marc shrugged. "I can wait with the lady and her manager." He pointed at Catherine with a hitchhiker's thumb.

The officer wasn't sure if he was being serious or sarcastic with his reply to the pop star's instructions.

"Let's go, Grace." Sheryl stepped out of the backstage when she walked onto the stage. "I need to double check the stage and make sure that I can get a feel for it." She began to inspect it, starting with the stage lights.

Marc got to sit on the nearest chair. He found another one and showed Catherine the empty seat next to his.

"Thank you." Catherine sat down next to him. "I could use a few minutes to rest while Ms. Nome's inspecting the stage with Ms. 'O Connor."

The ASE bodyguard stared at Catherine for a few seconds, noting that she was a bit tired.

"Is there something wrong?" The brown-haired woman asked. "You stared at me a few seconds ago."

"It's nothing." Marc shrugged his shoulders. "Just that you sitting there reminds me of the time we first met. Back when I was in my second year of high school."

"Yes," Catherine replied, who crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It was during the Foundation Day holiday when I saw you participate in a march with your school's military cadet corp on Island 1."

"That was two years ago when I first saw you on the stand after I received the award from the president on behalf of my school for being the best cadet corp. And right now, I still can't believe that I'm working alongside you with the Galactic Fairy's visit."

"The same goes with me. And even at that, I first assumed that you were just an ordinary student. Until when I worked alongside ASE to protect Myung Fang Lone."

"Heh. Those who were good times..."

Catherine and Marc spent the next few minutes talking about the good and bad times when they worked together to ensure the safety of the ex-manager of rogue virtual AI idol Sharon Apple.

* * *

February 28, 2059

Blanc Apartment, Shibuya Area, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Mikhail had arrived earlier than usual from his class in Mihoshi Academy, thanks to a last-minute decision to use the cable car because he didn't feel like walking back to his house.

Besides, walking all the way back from the school to the house would make him tired. As such, it gave him time to scan through TruthSeeker's messages.

A rectangular box was left in front of his house with an ink stamp that said "FRAGILE! HANDLE WITH CARE!".

"What the hell?" The SMS contractor didn't know what was inside, which was sealed up with packaging tape and rope, but he quickly picked it up and went inside the house. "I wasn't expecting any mail from anyone right now."

_And to lock this door up to give me much needed privacy. _

Mikhail placed the box on the empty bar table after he got a boxcutter from the nearby cabinet. He noticed that his right hand was shaking a bit after he got the boxcutter's blade out. _Got to stay cool._

Studying the box's layout, he took note that the box had a lid on top of it, similar to how one opens an ordinary shoebox.

Placing his left hand on his right wrist, the young man gently squeezed it until he can visually confirm for himself that his right hand was not shaking anymore.

_All that shaking won't be able to help me solve the mystery of Jessica's death if I'm panicking here right now._

Mikhail gave himself a few seconds to inhale and exhale. He learned from the physical fitness training at SMS Headquarters that doing it helps one reduce blood pressure and heartbeat rate, not to mention that it also helps in concentration.

_Okay. Let's try that again._

Putting the tip of the blade on the packaging tape, Mikhail carefully sliced it into two, following where the edges of the lid are located. With the tape taken care of, he peeled it off and removed the lid carefully. Even if the package was from TruthSeeker himself, he needed to be careful due to the possibility of enemies the broker has made over the years.

He stored the boxcutter's blade and placed the instrument next to the box. Afterwards, he placed the lid on top of the boxcutter. Mikhail got his hands on the bubble wrap and removed it, being the only contents of the box.

"Looks like it's wrapped around two small... mobile phones?" Mikhail was now wondering what the heck was TruthSeeker thinking after he used the boxcutter again to cut up the bubble wrap. He took out the two smartphones from it and placed them on the bar table. They also included the needed phone chargers.

_I'll throw them away later. _Mikhail's phone vibrated, currently in the right pants pocket of his Mihoshi Academy student uniform.

**I see that you got my package. If you're wondering why am I sending you two Apple smartphones to your residence, it's because you need a trustworthy ally if you're going to continue your search for the real answers behind your sister's death. **

Mikhail raised an eyebrow after he opened the SMS message. "An ally?" _Hn... There seems to be more._

**Assemble your team for this investigation, Mr. Blanc. And choose your people wisely.  
**

"An open challenge from TruthSeeker, huh?" Mikhail nodded when he read the message. He grabbed the empty box and held it upside down to see if there was anything else inside.

The only thing that fell out of the box was a colored 8x10 photograph of someone's face. He saw a sticky note that said "WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU START WITH THIS PERSON".

"What the?" Mikhail knelt down on the ground to pick up the colored photo to see whose face was on it. When he got a closer look at it, Mikhail was a bit shocked to see who's face was on it.

* * *

February 28, 2059

Lobby, Strategic Military Services Headquarters, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

"Good thing that you made it, sir Ozma. I was about to call for you."

A SMS security guard approached Ozma after he showed up at the building's lobby.

Ozma was a bit shocked that someone was about to call for him. "Why? Is there something wrong that needs my attention?"

"No, sir." The guard shook his head when he heard the man's question. "Mr. Bilrer and Captain Wilder wants you to meet him in person. He'll be stationed in _Frontier_ with us for a while."

"So where is he then?"

"Over here, sir."

The guard assisted Ozma when he pointed to him someone seated near the entrance of the building. He was in full SMS uniform, including windbreaker jacket. The veteran contractor noted that he had Eurasian features with neat orange hair and green eyes.

_Orange hair? That's an interesting feature._

"Are you with SMS?" Ozma asked the young man who waited in the lobby.

"Yes, sir." The orange-haired man saluted Ozma when he saw the man approach him. "I'm suppose to be stationed here as part of my training with SMS."

"I see." Ozma saluted him in return. "What's your name?"

"Leon, sir," Leon replied when Ozma asked for his name. "Leon Sakaki. I was recruited from SMS' Sepheela branch."

_Leon Sakaki (Miyu Irino/Gabe Khouth)_

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Ozma Lee of the Strategic Military Services."

"So you're Major Ozma Lee." Leon was a bit surprised to see him in person. "I was told many stories about you, particularly with one mission that you did a long time ago."

Ozma shook hands with Leon. _I almost thought that he served in Sephira. Must've heard that wrong._ "I never hear the end of that." The man smirked before he asked Leon. "Do you mind if I ask you something? I'm not sure if the name is familiar, but did you serve alongside someone by the name of Rod Baltmar?"

"Yes, I did." Leon nodded when he heard the name Ozma mentioned after he shook hims with him. "I haven't seen him since we parted ways after I was honorably discharged from the NUNS."

"I assume from something personal?"

"Partly the reason why I decided to leave, Major."

"All right, I understand. Just be sure to follow the guard to get acquainted with the facility. I assume that Captain Wilder will work on the other details."

"Understood, sir."

Ozma watched Leon go with the guard to check out the facility. He wondered if the young man would also suffer like him since his reason for joining SMS mirrors his own in some way.

_Is SMS going to be made up of contractors who have wretched and troubled pasts? If I don't do anything to help him, I can't help but think that the Sakaki kid is eventually going to follow in my footsteps.  
_

His train of thought was then interrupted when he got an incoming call on his mobile phone. When Ozma looked at the caller ID, he saw Ranka's name on it.

**"Yes, Ranka?" **Ozma was quick to answer the call. **"Oh, you need to know what time I'm going back home from SMS HQ?"**

Ozma stared at the digital wall clock to get the current time. _Its three in the afternoon. If anything, the captain's not having anything major done now. I can probably go home by six._

**"It's fine, Ranka. You just called me up at a good time." **Ozma smiled when he spoke to his adopted sister on the phone. **"I can be back by... how does 6 in the evening sound?"**

* * *

February 28, 2059

Lobby, Ritz-Carlton Frontier Hotel, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

After Grace and Sheryl were able to survey the stage at the Tenkumon Concert Hall, the latter told her bodyguard and Frontier government liaison officer that she would head back to her hotel and call it a day.

"Thanks to you two, things went smoothly without any interruptions." Sheryl thanked Marc and Catherine for sticking with her for the entire day.

"I'll try my best to contact you again if there are sudden changes that could go beyond my control, Lieutenant." Grace slightly nodded her head. "I apologize again for any inconveniences to you today."

"It's quite all right." Catherine waved her hands to try and downplay the manager's apology. "Things like this sometimes happen. Regardless, I'm still going to be your liaison officer throughout your stay here in _Frontier_."

"You're heading out?" Marc asked Catherine as she was about to leave the hotel. Sheryl and Grace went to the front desk to speak to the manager in charge.

"Yeah." Catherine sighed, feeling very tired from today's events. "I'm heading back to the President's Office to clear some things up and then go home."

"Okay." Marc nodded.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Yeah... Did you want me to say anything else?"

"No. Never mind..."

Catherine was about to leave the hotel lobby when she stopped. She then turned her head around and spoke to the bodyguard again. "In case something like this happens again, just call me on my mobile phone. You got it?"

"Yeah, Catherine. I can do just that." Marc nodded when he heard Catherine's suggestion. "But I don't have your mobile number. I don't know if it was given to us in the first place..."

"I'll just send the details over to ASE later then," Catherine told him before she added one more thing to her response. "And one more thing. Just call me Cathy."

_O... okay. _Marc was silent, never expecting her to insist that he should call her by her nickname. _Now that's a first. Before, she never told me to address her as such when we first met back with the Myung protection detail a few months ago._

"Good." Catherine smirked before she turned around and left the lobby.

Marc was now happy that work was done for the day. He looked at his wristwatch to check for the time again.

"Almost ten minutes before seven." Marc wiggled his left wrist, feeling some pain from it. "I better get something to eat." He went to get his wallet from the left pocket of his pants when he felt someone grab his arm.

When Marc turned around to see who grabbed him, he saw that it was the pop star herself.

"Are you heading out somewhere?" Sheryl asked her bodyguard after she removed her hand from his arm. "I saw you grabbing your wallet while I was talking to my manager."

"I am." Marc checked his wallet if he had enough money to get some food later. "I thought you ladies were speaking to the hotel manager."

"Well, she's taking care of that." Sheryl pointed to Grace, who was now speaking to the manager, with her right thumb.

"If there isn't anything else, I'm heading out to get some food before I head back to my place to get some rest." Marc finished counting the money inside his wallet and tucked it away back in his pants. "I had a long day."

"All right, all right." Sheryl sighed when she heard his answer. "I get the picture."

"I'll see you later in your next outing," Marc said to Sheryl before he excused himself. "If anything else happens, you can get your manager to contact me through the agency."

Sheryl nodded and waved goodbye to Marc when he stepped out of the hotel lobby.

A few minutes later, Grace approached her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"So the bodyguard already left?" Grace asked Sheryl when she saw him ride on his motorbike.

"Yeah," Sheryl replied as she watched him leave. "Too bad though. I would have offered him some money as a reward for staying with me throughout the day when the schedule got a bit complicated."

"It's true." Grace then checked her wristwatch. "Well, tomorrow is Saturday. So I assume that you want to get in some rest before the big day on Sunday?"

"That'll be fine." Sheryl shrugged her shoulders before she walked with Grace to the elevator. "And there's one more thing I need to do. But it's... kind of trivial?"

"Trivial?" Grace was confused on what she was talking about.

Sheryl grinned at her. "Since I'm going to be in _Frontier _for a while, I want to ask my bodyguard on the things that you can do as a tourist in the colony."

"Alright." The blue-haired woman understood what Sheryl was getting at. "But are you going to ask him? The chairman of ASE's Frontier branch did provide you and me with his contact numbers in case you need to talk to him."

"Of course I am," Sheryl replied with pride as she pressed the UP button to call for an elevator car. "After all, I think it's best to ask for what you can do and where you can go in _Frontier _through the eyes of a local."

Grace was a bit hesitant, worried that her schedule will be messed up like what happened a while ago. "Okay, Sheryl. Just be sure to consult me if you want to do something that won't conflict with the schedule set by the agency."

"Okay, okay." Sheryl stepped into the elevator car before Grace followed. "I'm not too sure on a couple of dates, so can you give me a hand there?"

"Of course I can." Grace inserted the Ritz-Carlton hotel key card into a keycard slot before Sheryl pressed the penthouse button. "Like I said, just let me know if you want to go somewhere or do something outside of the schedule, okay?"

"You know me, Grace."

_I have a bad feeling about this. _If there's anything that Grace about her is the opportunity is that she may go off beyond what they have agreed on. It's only a good thing that it rarely happens, which makes itself present during Sheryl's days off at the wrong place at the wrong time.

* * *

February 28, 2059

Mikhail's Room, Blanc Apartment, Shibuya Area, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

**"Is that it? All right, Jack. Thanks for the update. Let's meet up again at Mihoshi Academy again as usual to practice for Sheryl's concert. Be sure to tell the others, including Alto."**

Mikhail had ended a call from one of his classmates when he got it from his SMS-issued mobile phone, who was also selected to be with him as part of the stunt crew from Mihoshi Academy.

He looked outside the window of his room. It was now getting dark.

"I almost thought that TruthSeeker would call back." Mikhail stared at the smartphone the broker had brought to his place, currently on top of his table. The colored headshot photo was seen below the smartphone. Currently, it was not turned on yet. But Mikhail was told by TruthSeeker to boot it up after he charged the smartphone's battery for the night.

He had previously discarded the burner phone he got from Griffith Park by going to the nearest electronics recycling center. He took the liberty of removing the nano-SIM card before he handed in the phone for recycling.

_That ought to do it._ Mikhail got a hold of the nano-SIM again after he got a pair of scissors. With one cut, the nano-SIM was destroyed after it was cut into two pieces. With it, there shouldn't be any traces made to him or TruthSeeker about their secret conversations.

The nano-SIM pieces were now thrown into the trash can. Tomorrow, he would have to bring out the trash from the house to the apartment's trash chute in order to dispose of it alongside his usual garbage.

For now, Mikhail was content to get a warm shower and get some sleep. He still needs to practice alongside the others at Mihoshi Academy again in order to prepare for Sheryl's first major concert in _Frontier_.

He just hoped that nothing would get in the way.

Even if those damned Vajra would show up near the colony. Just like what he and the other SMS contractors in other parts of the galaxy have been briefed on.

Chapter 2 END

* * *

PS - I guess I had to expect people asking why the names of the characters (with accompanying names of seiyus/voice actors) are in italics. That part (in terms of narrating the first appearance of characters) is based on the Metal Gear Solid series, which first started that. You can search in youtube for MGS cutscenes when a major/important character is introduced with the character name and his/her voice actor name in parentheses. It's kind of my take on how Frontier can be done if an English version is viable without any interference from the legal battles with the Macross franchise and Robotech and if geographic restrictions aren't a big deal for voice actors/actresses based in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Texas and to a degree, New York. I hope that helps.

So it looks like this in a Metal Gear Solid-type cutscene:

_Solid Snake (Akio Otsuka/David Hayter)_

Hopefully that helps with the explanation.

In the meantime, I handled Ozma very differently from the TV show/movies maybe so that he has a "very good" reason on why Ranka does not know much about her past or why the big brother has never told her about it. Just showing off the spy fiction stuff alongside the military stuff of Macross. In the spirit of technothriller writing, he's going to have a semi-paranoid view on... "certain things".

Apologies if the FM radio station name is kinda lame... maybe. Not good in that department. I based on the old DWLSFM 97.1 FM program that used to air in English in the Philippine before the big change. Let's say that I hated it and this naming is a tribute to the DJs and engineers involved. I hope those guys are doing okay out there in their current jobs.

You will notice someone from Macross' 30th anniversary game. Regardless if you know him or not, I decided to get him into SMS early than what was depicted in the game. Though I probably will need more info on the entire story since there's not much info on the game. Probably with the exception of Japnaese wiki sites that do show up around the net.

Anyway, sorry for the late delays. Been playing Watch_Dogs and Siren: New Translation. These are quite awesome though. So yeah... In the meantime, feel free to let me know how the chapter is when you read and review it. Also feel free to let me know if I made a mistake somewhere.

And just a teeny bit of trivia note. If any of my stories do get a TV Tropes entry (since I hang out there lately when I'm not doing anything important), feel free to let me know when the page was made.

Title is from the same name of a BGM piece from the Persona 4 OST.


	3. Imminent

Macross Frontier: Conspiracy

Chapter 3: Imminent

* * *

March 2, 2059

Nyan-Nyan Restaurant, Shibuya Area, Island 1, _NUNGS __Macross Frontier_

* * *

Standing near the employees only door to the locker room was a sixteen-year old girl wearing the red cheongsam uniform of the well-known restaurant Nyan-Nyan. She was seen speaking on her green salamander phone on speakerphone. The caller ID was seen with the name "Alto Saotome" on it.

**"Hey Ranka." **The caller identified as Alto greeted Ranka. **"It's me, Alto. I got some good news for you."**

**"Did you get the tickets, Alto?"** The green-haired girl quickly asked on the phone, very excited to hear whatever he has to say.

_Ranka Lee (Megumi Nakajima/Ashleigh Ball)_

**"Yeah, that's right. I'm scheduled to join up with Mikhail and some of the others from my class to fly stunts for Sheryl's live concert."** Alto replied to Ranka's question. **"I got some help from him to get some tickets from Frontier Records. I'll SMS it to your phone now."****  
**

Ranka patiently waited for Alto's SMS message. When she received a confirmation that the SMS contained electronic tickets for Sheryl's concert, she couldn't contain her excitement any longer.

**"Thanks, Alto. You're a big help! Tell Mikhail and the others that they're going to be some extras for your orders, okay?"**

The girl then skipped around while saying "DECULTURE!" and spinning around while she threw her salamander phone up. Ranka stopped and manipulated her left ponytail to allow her salamander phone to rest on her left shoulder.

"Ranka..." One of the Nyan-Nyan waitresses whispered to her when she came to see Ranka. "What are you doing? Most of the customers are looking at you right now."

"Oh my gosh." Ranka covered her mouth with her hands, feeling very embarrassed as her cheeks turned red. "I'm so sorry..."

"Hey Ranka!" The Nyan-Nyan maître d' called for her attention from the reception desk. "We got the order ready to go for Mihoshi Academy and it's already been paid! You know what to do!"

"Yes, sir!" Ranka cheerfully replied when she ran to the kitchen counter in order to get the metallic delivery box.

A few minutes later, the electronic poster that advertised Sheryl's concert has a **SOLD OUT **bar scrawled all over it.

Ranka was later seen leaving the premises via Segway PT electric vehicle, driving it towards Mihoshi Academy.

* * *

March 2, 2059

Mihoshi Academy, Island 1, _NUNGS __Macross Frontier_

* * *

"Hi, sir." Ranka greeted the security guard on duty. "Nyan-Nyan received a call from Mikhail and the others a while ago..."

"Ah." The guard smiled at Ranka when he greeted her by lifting his ballcap a bit. "I see. Guess those boys are really hungry."

"Is it okay if I park my Segway inside the guardhouse?" The girl asked the guard for permission since she couldn't find a suitable space to leave her Segway.

"It's fine. Leave it inside and just come back to get it when you're done. I'll make sure no one tries to steal it while you're delivering the food."

"Thanks a lot!" Ranka grabbed the delivery box from the Segway after she left it inside the guardhouse. After the guard mentioned that Mikhail is doing aerobatics practice on the school's roof, the girl nodded and thanked him again for his assistance. "I'll be sure to pay you back if I can."

She ran past some of the other Mihoshi Academy students who were about to leave the school for their homes or for other places to hang out for a while to get a break.

_I hope they enjoy the extra stuff on their food today. _Ranka thought happily as she ran towards the staircase that would lead only to the roof.

As Ranka continued to run up the stairs towards her destination, she could overhear some shouts that seem to be from Mikhail himself.

She wondered if Mikhail was fighting with someone else.

* * *

March 2, 2059

Ritz-Carlton Frontier Hotel, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Today was the day for Sheryl's live concert in _Frontier_ to become pop culture history. She was due to arrive at Island 1's Tenkumon Park to stage her event, which was expected to be full of her fans and members of the press.

Due to this, the outskirts of the Ritz-Carlton was swamped with Sheryl groupies and paparazzi photographers trying to get a decent photo of her leaving the hotel in order to earn some good money. Because of this, the FPB has deployed uniformed officers to secure the hotel outskirts to protect the pop star and to physically serve as a deterrent for any other person who wants to try and get close to her with hostile intentions.

"Dammit." Marc had arrived at the hotel's lobby, which was partially cordoned by PSD close protection officers. Most of those present are female, but there are a small amount of male officers present to provide VIP protection for Sheryl and Grace.

"You must be with ASE." A female PSD officer of Caucasian origin approached Marc. The short blonde-haired woman then asked him, "I just need to see your ID for security reasons."

"Is she up in the penthouse?" Marc handed in his ASE ID without any objections from him.

"Yes, sir. We've been told that she's waiting for her bodyguard and the liaison officer from the President's office."

"All right. I'll be heading in then." The part-time bodyguard got back his ASE ID from the PSD officer when Catherine entered the hotel's lobby.

"Ah, good to see you here." Catherine greeted Marc with a slight nod. "I need to talk to you on the way to see Sheryl Nome."

"And this is about what?" Marc raised an eyebrow when he was told that she needed his attention.

"It's about what happened at the Frontier Spaceport a few days ago."

The two went inside an elevator that would take them to the hotel's penthouse. Catherine used the keycard provided by hotel manager to operate the elevator to the penthouse after she inserted it into the keycard slot.

* * *

Once the elevator was already up and going towards the penthouse, Catherine made the decision to talk to Marc about what happened at the spaceport. They also positioned themselves so that the security camera won't be able to pick up their faces in case they start talking.

"The PSD has been able to identify the suspect who tried to assault the Galactic Fairy," Catherine spoke to Marc as the elevator passed the first five floors. "His name's Jack Henson and he's a university student with Frontier Institute of Technology."

"That last part's a given already." Marc waved his hand, still remembering the suspect's university affiliation. "I thought CIB can't find anything suspicious about the guy when they did a background check on him."

"They did at first. CIB detectives did more digging in his university life and found out from his peers that he's a hardcore Sheryl fan." Catherine raised a finger to make her point first. "But they did find something interesting..."

"This ought to be fun." Marc smirked. "Let me guess. They found something in his e-mail messages?"

Catherine nodded. "That's right. All of them sent from one source, sending him information that only Sheryl would only know.

Marc didn't realize that the suspect at the spaceport was being fed information. "And the source have a name?"

"We can't find anything about it. CIB ordered a trace to find the e-mail address, but all attempts have failed so far."

"So what now?"

"FPB is getting into a meeting with the Special Investigations Bureau to use their intelligence assets to try and uncover the e-mail address. But it may be too late if the culprit could wipe all traces of the account. Unofficially though, the President's Office may try to get ASE involved in a separate investigation away from the public eye."

_Which means ASE's going to get all the info about the pop star from the FPB. Looks like I don't need to use the power of Wikipedia to get my hands on further information on Sheryl Nome. Well as long as SHIELD's not to stick their nose into it since it's not their jurisdiction.  
_

"Look Cathy. The only thing I don't know is whether I'll be included in an unofficial investigation since that means that I could be pulled from Sheryl's protection detail..."

"I'm sure the PSD can manage it until you return back, Marc."

_Right..._

* * *

March 2, 2059

Rooftop/EX-Gear runway, Mihoshi Academy, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

"Hey guys! Thanks for waiting! I got your food from Nyan-Nyan...!"

Ranka had arrived at the rooftop/EX-Gear runway, happily running towards her customers when she saw a couple of familiar students clad in EX-Gear fighting each other with their hands and feet.

"What the heck did you call me, Mikhail?!" Ranka saw a blue-haired student with a ponytail attempting a punch at Mikhail.

"I said YOU'RE A PRINCESS, Alto!" Mikhail easily dodged the punch meant for his face when he sidestepped and went for a kick.

"YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN?!"

"HELL I WILL!"

"Hey you two!" Klan had to step in to stop the two from fighting. "Ranka's waiting, you know! So knock it out!"

"R-ranka..." Mikhail greeted Ranka nervously, slowly putting his right leg down after Alto previously blocked the attack.

"Ranka!" Alto also greeted Ranka nervously also. He lowered his left arm down as well after Mikhail blocked the attack. "We weren't expecting you for another two minutes."

"It's okay, guys. I got out of Nyan-Nyan very early."

Ranka placed the delivery box and opened a panel to show off the food.

"Here you are." She handed a ramen bowl to Mikhail, who the first to receive it from her. "Today's special from Nyan-Nyan is the Galaxy Ramen with additional Magellanic Fishcakes on the house!" A pair of wooden chopsticks in plastic wrap was also handed to him.

The ramen was very unique among the other ramen bowls served in restaurants throughout _Frontier_. The noodles and nori seaweed were arranged in a circular formation to make them resemble interstellar clouds. The egg in the center served as the sun with chopped scallions on the side to resemble gases coming from the sun. A couple of Narutomaki-type fishcakes as planets. A sliced piece of Chashu pork represent a cluster of asteroids. Toasted sesame seeds sprinkled all over the soup base was meant to represent the stars.

Truly, this dish is a work of art, being symbolic for food that would eventually span all galaxies for many years to come.

"This soup smells good." Mikhail was happy to see the food in his hands. Although he knew that he had to sit down in order to savor it. "Hey guys! Let's have our break and get your ramen!"

The other Mihoshi Academy students went towards Ranka and got their ramen as well from her.

"Ranka! You're a lifesaver!"

"Thanks, Ranka. Is there any way we can repay you for getting the food here so fast?"

"Okay! I'm digging in on the ramen! I'm starting to get hungry!"

Ranka spoke to Klan when the latter approached her. "Thanks for getting those two to stop fighting, Ms. Klan."

Klan waved her off and smiled. "Please, Ranka. You don't have to call me Miss, you know. Klan's just fine with me."

The girl saw the Meltrandi sport a grin on her face. She grabbed one of the extra choptsticks from the open delivery box. Afterwards, she began to open the plastic wrap, break the chopsticks apart and sneak up on Mikhail from the back.

_Is Klan trying to get something from Mikhail? _

"Thanks, Mikhail!" Klan ran past Mikhail and used her chopsticks to grab a piece of the Magellanic fishcake from his Galaxy Ramen.

Mikhail considered her act to be a violation of his private space, which included the ramen he held onto his hands for dear life. As such, he started to chase after her.

"Hey! Hold it right there, Klan! Don't eat that fishcake!" Mikhail proceeded to give chase to Klan.

"Like I'm gonna wait, Mikhail!" Klan quickly ate the fishcake that was previously in her chopsticks. "Thanks for the fishcake, by the way!"

"Why you! When I get my hands on you..."

"Heh! Just try it..."

Ranka went to see Alto, who was seated on an empty bench far away from the EX-Gear runway.

"Hey Alto!" Ranka shouted Alto's name when she ran up to him. "Do you want to eat with me? I got tuna buns with me."

_Alto Saotome (Yuichi Nakamura/Blake Shepard)_

"I don't know, Ranka," Alto replied to Ranka's invitation. "I shouldn't eat much due to the upcoming concert..."

Alto was about to speak further when he looked at the tuna buns in Ranka's lunch box. The ex-kabuki actor felt bad to turn her down, after all she did when she delivered their food from Nyan-Nyan everyday whenever the group held practice at the school's roof after classes were finished for the day.

"On second thought, I'm starting to get hungry. I'll get one."

Ranka smiled and handed a tuna bun to him.

"At least this should keep my stomach full for now until the concert's over." Alto took the bun and began to ate it.

"Thanks, Alto." Ranka smiled and sat down next to him. She then joined him in eating the other bun.

The two just watched the others dig in with their food. Mikhail, on the other hand, got his work cut out for him since he needed to avoid Klan getting her chopsticks into some of the ramen that was in his bowl.

"Get off me, Klan! I haven't even eaten the ramen yet..." Mikhail tried his best to push Klan off his waist.

Klan was about to reach the bowl with her chopsticks. "Well if you weren't doing your monologue right after Ranka gave you the food, you could have still enjoyed it..."

* * *

March 2, 2059

Ritz-Carlton Frontier Hotel, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

After Catherine and Marc met up with Grace and Sheryl in her penthouse suite, the former talked to them about the recent attack and how the FPB was able to identify the suspect back at the spaceport.

_Just lead the way to get Sheryl into her limo. Don't try to listen to their conversation. _Marc stepped out of the elevator to clear a path for the pop star. Most of the PSD officers had left the lobby to go to their vehicles parked on the driveway. At least four were present to accompany the two _Galaxy _residents to their limo.

"Has the police investigation been successful in finding the anonymous source?" Grace was clearly very alarmed that the detained suspect had information that detailed Sheryl's early days prior to her singer career.

"No, I'm afraid we don't," Catherine replied to Grace's question. "From what I've been told, the e-mail address doesn't work anymore after they tried to do a trace on the IP address."

"Just the fact alone is there is not reassuring to us yet," Marc murmured when he heard Catherine talked about the failure in hunting down for the IP address where the information was sent from.

Marc got to the limo and opened the door for Sheryl and Grace to get inside.

"So, Mr. Bodyguard," Sheryl greeted Marc before she got inside. "are you worried that the suspect would try to attempt another attack on me again?"

Marc raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she was trying to get sarcastic at him. He took a good look at her clothes. She was wearing a wide dark blue beret, titled to the left. She also wore a white shirt with a blue dress worn over it with a pink bowtie placed on her dress. Her hands were covered with gloves that reached halfway to her arms with two brown bracelet on her wrists. For her footwear, she had brown high platform boots on.

_At least the Fairy has some sense of fashion at least. Ah well, who am I to judge anyway? I ain't no fashion consultant._

He did reply anyway just to satisfy her curiosity. "Please be reassured, Ms. Nome. I'll do everything I can to protect you in the interests of both the Almighty Support Enterprises and Frontier Records."

He faced Catherine, who was about to approach the limo. "However, I don't know if I can do my duty in the interests of President Howard Glass."

The NUNS officer glared at him after she heard his comment. "I hope the next thing you're going to say is a constructive comment instead of a blatant accusation."

The bodyguard shared another glance. "None for now. I can get back to you if you want." He faced Grace, who was now trying to stop Catherine from doing anything she'd regret. "Please get in, Ms. 'O Connor."

"Thank you, Mr. Chua," Grace thanked Marc for keeping the door open.

"Watch it, buster." Catherine angrily said to his face before she got in the limo.

_I guess the First Daughter can't help, but realize that President Glass' administration is getting in the news lately with either incompetent or corrupt people working under him. _

Marc closed the door and got on board his motorbike. The unmarked PSD vehicles left the hotel driveway to take the lead as the convoy drove off towards the Tenkumon Concert Hall. The young man followed by staying beside the limo while he maintained the motorbike's speed at a normal pace.

* * *

March 2, 2059

Rooftop/EX-Gear runway, Mihoshi Academy, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

"There it is."

Alto felt the wind hit his face after he saw an eagle fly above Mihoshi Academy. He decided that it was now the right time to use the paper airplane he made from a Sheryl Nome concert brochure.

"What are you doing, Alto?" Ranka asked Alto as he was about to throw the paper airplane.

"I'm doing preparations before I take off from the runway." Alto threw the paper airplane into the air when he made his reply. He placed his left hand above his eyes so that he can concentrate on looking at it.

_It's set at North to Northeastern winds. _

Alto began to wear his EX-Gear helmet while he walked towards the runway.

"Okay..." Alto gripped onto the launch catapult handle as he checked his EX-Gear for any problems after it popped up from the ground. "Flaps, check. Engine, okay. Wings, okay..." The student also went for a squat as instructed by their teachers in order to help gain full momentum when the handle pulls them all the way down to the end of the runway.

Ranka knew what Alto was doing. She always saw him as one of the first to practice taking off from the runway, although he decided to fly after he ate the tuna bun. She turned her salamander phone into a signal wand and stood next to the runway.

"5!...4!..." Ranka held the signal wand up high.

"3!...2!..." Alto began to tighten his grip on the handle.

"1...! 0!" With the signal wand waved downwards, Alto began to manipulate the handle so that it can move him down the runway.

"Okay! Take off!" Alto shouted before he let go of the handle. Initially falling down the roof, he soon gained enough momentum from the dragging to let the EX-Gear's engines pull their weight. Alto eventually was able to fly when he took full control of his suit.

"Looks like our princess did it." Mikhail placed his hands on his hips moments after he finished whatever ramen he could finish. Of course, this entitled to bribing Klan to get away from his food when the next round of ramen meals on his tab when the time comes.

"He did it..." Ranka was happy to see Alto fly around the school's roof once again.

"Okay everyone." Mikhail got all of the aeronautics students to gather near him before he spoke to them. "Since we're done with the rehearsals for the day, let's go and rendezvous at the Tenkumon Concert Hall. The concert's going to last for an hour or two, so make sure to bring only the stuff that you need to bring like your mobile phones and money if you're going to commute home. Understood?"

"Right!" The aeronautic students replied in unison.

"Mikhail," Ranka called for his attention.

"Do you need my help, Ranka?" Mikhail replied to her when he heard her call for his name.

"Can you meet me at Tenkumon Concert Hall after I get off work? Of course, I have to go back to Nyan-Nyan and call it a day..."

* * *

March 2, 2059

Inside Tata Pr1ma, en route to Tenkumon Concert Hall

* * *

"I apologize for my previous outburst back at the hotel," Catherine said to Sheryl and Grace when the car was heading towards their destination. "I'm... normally not like that when I work with Mr. Chua."

"I take it that you two have some differences in other fields?" Grace asked the lieutenant with some curiosity in mind.

"While we have a healthy professional relationship," Catherine explained her position. "there are indeed times when he and I do clash with differences in opinions."

"Ah..." The talent manager now understood the situation between the two. "Well I hope that you two do still get along. My agency still needs your services to ensure Ms. Nome's well-being."

"I understand, Ms. 'O Connor."

"Hey, Grace." Sheryl nudged her manager by using her right elbow. "Remember what I told you last night?"

"Oh..." Grace murmured before she said. "Do you mean about the trip that you want to do after the concert?"

Sheryl nodded.

"Okay. I'll go and make a call or two to ASE and ask if he'll be available or not."

"He better be. I'm paying good money just to make sure I'm safe and sound from any loony fan who may come after me."

Catherine sighed and wondered if it was worth her time to liaise with a celebrity who highly thinks of herself.

* * *

March 2, 2059

Backstage, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

The Mihoshi Academy students had arrived to the concert hall by commuting. The managers of the concert hall was not able to accommodate a request to get them a place for any of the students who still need time to change to their EX-Gears. They only got space to put their EX-Gear suitcases on a corner alongside the equipment used for the concert.

"You know that it's not fair." A young student, who has auburn hair and eyes, complained to Mikhail after he checked the helmet of his EX-Gear. "They only weren't able to give us some space to those who need to change to EX-Gears like me, but they told us that Frontier Records made alternations to our stunts. And they never told us about it in advance."

"We got no choice, Luca." Mikhail tried his best to calm him down. "Frontier Records insist that we can't do the flashy stuff."

_Luca Angelloni (Jun Fukuyama/Ben Diskin)_

"But then we won't be able to get to use Alto's cockscrew maneuver." Luca pouted even more.

Alto gave a slight smile to Luca. "Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal after all."

"Don't tell me that you're going to use your pull with LAI to get the company to back down, are you?" Mikhail joked with him to see his reaction. Everyone in school knew of Luca's ties with LAI due to its foundation by his ancestors, who were the first residents of _Frontier _prior to its launch from Eden.

"O-of course not!" Luca replied angrily and shook his head. He then pouted again. "If I did that, my big sister'll get mad at me."

"Hey guys!" A Mihoshi Academy aeronautics student called for the trio's attention. "We got incoming!"

"Who is it?" Alto asked the student.

"It's Sheryl, Alto. She's already here."

The students began to bunch up and look at the backstage entrance when they saw four PSD officers clearing the way for Sheryl and Grace to get inside.

"Hey... Is that Marc?" Luca asked Mikhail when he pointed at a familiar face when he entered the backstage alongside Sheryl.

"No way," Mikhail murmured. "So he did take my suggestion from the time we met at the last interschool interaction day."

"And here I thought that you just made up some story about what's he doing." Alto too saw Marc escorting Sheryl inside. "I'll concede that he's a part-time security contractor."

When Sheryl stopped to look at their directions, the Mihoshi Academy students were happy to be in her presence. Even Luca and Mikhail were also happy to see her in person. Alto, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes in frustration and wondered what makes her so special from other female celebrities who come and go from _Frontier._

They felt pleasant shivers course through their bodies when Sheryl smiled at them. Truly she was a living goddess in their midst.

"Dude, did you see that?" One of the Mihoshi Academy students whispered to his classmate. "Sheryl smiled at us."

"I think I'm dead and I'm in heaven somehow." The other student whispered back.

"Sheryl..." Luca whispered with his hands clasped together. "She's a goddess in person."

Sheryl was eventually led to another part of the backstage, which consisted of dressing rooms.

* * *

Once Sheryl and Grace were out of public sight, she turned to face Catherine. Marc noticed that she looked very upset.

_This'll be a doozy. _Marc stood near Sheryl to make sure no one sees her scolding the officer. _Anytime now..._

"I thought I made it very clear that security shouldn't any fans to sneak into the backstage without consent!" Sheryl nearly shouted at the top of her voice.

Catherine was at first stunned to see the Galactic Fairy, but she was able to compose herself and give out a sound defense. "They're not fans. They come from Mihoshi Academy, one of _Frontier_'s finest schools that specialize in aeronautics."

Sheryl clearly didn't like what she heard. "Students? So you got amateur stuntmen to be in the show instead of professionals?! Dammit. What was Frontier Records thinking?!"

Grace whispered to Marc when she stood near him. "I apologize for her outburst, Mr. Chua."

"No need. I'm used to this thing." Marc whispered back to the woman.

The pop star opened the door that led to a dressing room with her clothes inside. "Just make sure that they go easy on the flying. I don't want them to get in my way."

She then sported a smirk on her face. "Otherwise, the fans won't be able to look at me during the live performance."

Sheryl got inside the room, followed by Grace.

Catherine didn't like what Sheryl had to say to her.

"Galactic Fairy my ass." Catherine was now clearly frustrated with Sheryl's angry rant a while ago. "She's no pop star." The brown-haired woman snarled at the Sheryl poster nearby. "She's just a bitch who feels like she should get the spotlight every now and then."

"Hey. I'm just glad that you were able to confess your feelings about Sheryl." Marc said when he heard Catherine voice her frustrations out with Sheryl's anger.

"You're not going to tell her?" The officer asked the Asian teenager, being a bit worried that he could rat her out to his client.

"Nah." Marc calmly replied. "Why would I anyway? We got something that we agree on in a little while."

While the two were talking outside Sheryl's dressing room, Mikhail gestured to the others to head to the stage since it was almost time for the live concert to begin.

* * *

March 2, 2059

Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy

* * *

In a cluster of asteroids floating in the Milky Way Galaxy, a large asteroid was seen floating slowly away from the others.

There was something on top of the said asteroid. Though its presence was obscured by the shadow due to the presence of another large asteroid, a pair of red eyes glowed brightly to make its presence known.

The extra-terrestrial being leaped off from the asteroid, showing its six legs, a large red body with yellow spiral marks and a mid-size flagellum. It has an organic blade-like object with a pointed tip mounted on its back. Accompanied by three smaller beings of the same species, they have a head in the shape of a moon crescent, two forearms and a long flagellum with a yellow body.

Unofficially to those privy to their existence, they are known as the Vajra. To everyone else... Well, they don't exist at all, either in digital or in print media.

The four Vajras flew away from the asteroid, intending on making contact with the _Macross Frontier _immigration fleet.

Their presence was made known to a NUNS Space Forces flight, consisting of six General Galaxy QF-4000 Ghost Fighter unmanned aerial vehicles. They were launched from _Frontier _a few hours ago in order to scout the fleet's path and determine if the path is safe from anything hostiles, ranging from pirate raiding groups, rogue NUNS military units, hired mercenaries, terrorists to unidentified hostile lifeforms.

As the armed UAVs got closer and closer to the Vajras, their electronic guidance systems began to malfunction. It's unknown if the Vajras have something to do with it.

The two Ghost Fighters began to move out of control and crash into each other, resulting in a small explosion. The four Ghost Fighters offered no signs of fighting back against the Vajras or defending itself.

Due to this inconvenience with the UAV's electronics, they were made easy targets for the Vajras. All they did was to fire their guns from their bodies at the disoriented drones, taking them out of commission.

With the drones out of the way, the Vajras proceeded to make their way towards _Frontier_.

Nothing can stop them from achieving their objective as directed from their hive mind.

* * *

March 2, 2059

Bridge, _Battle Frontier_, NUNGS_ Macross Frontier_

* * *

The bridge of the _Battle_-class was busy as always, bearing the responsibility of protecting the inhabitants of _Macross Frontier _from all hostile forces seeking to attack it. For today, NUNS soldiers stationed at the CIC were waiting for updates from the Ghost Fighters.

"Dammit. We lost our IFFs from the Ghost Fighters." A male NUNS soldier of East Asian origin with black hair in a crewcut haircut spoke to his colleague.

"Yeah, you're right. We never got this problem aside from pirates and mercenaries attempting to do a sneak attack." A female NUNS soldier of Caucasian origin with short blonde hair replied to his concerns. When she checked her console, she noted that all of their IFFs were declared to be permanently.

"Admiral!" The female soldier turned around to face Admiral John Perry, the highest-ranking NUNS officer to be deployed on _Frontier_ as the officer responsible for running _Battle Frontier_.

"What is it?" Admiral Perry had the soldier's attention.

"The IFF signatures from the Ghost Fighter flight are all down as of three minutes ago!"

"Do we know what was responsible for it?"

"Not at the moment, sir!"

The admiral was worried about the loss of their UAVs. Since CIC could not get any details on who or what was responsible for downing the flight, he had no choice but to make the decision to notify the "proper authorities".

_I have no choice. If whatever's out there has the capability to down those drones, then we may have a sticky situation on our hands._

"Open a line to the SHIELD field office at once!" Admiral Perry gave out his instructions to CIC personnel. "I want their immediate analysis on the situation!"

"Understood, sir!"

The general whispered to one of his subordinates, a Colonel. "Get a line to President Glass at once."

"We're getting in touch with him as we speak." The Colonel replied.

"Good. Let me know if he's on the line."

Admiral Perry sighed as everyone on the bridge was starting to get anxious after the downing of the Ghost Fighters. The NUNS veteran's thoughts was on the assumption that another alien species that may have made initial contact with them.

"Admiral." The Colonel reported back. "The President is waiting for you on the hotline."

"Thank you. I'll take it from here."

He picked up the phone handset and placed it on his left ear.

**"Thank you for getting my call, Mr. President." **Admiral Perry spoke to the president. **"We've got an urgent situation..."**

**"I heard from the SHIELD field office moments ago."** President Glass replied on the other line. **"How bad is it, Admiral?"**

**"Very bad. Our Ghost Fighters were taken out a few minutes after we deployed them to survey the 200 kilometer radius for the fleet. Our assessment suggests that the unknowns may have good EMP capabilities."**

**"Hmm... This is bad."** The president mused over the line after he heard the admiral's assessment. **"See if you can try and hold off the unknowns from getting near the fleet as much as you can. I'm still having my meeting with SHIELD. Failing that, make sure you send out the order to have the civilians to evacuate to the shelters at once."**

**"Understood, Mr. President."**

The Admiral placed the handset down after the call ended and called for his subordinate's attention.

"Continue to keep me updated on the unknowns. It appears that SHIELD's going to be involved in this mess."

"Understood, sir."

* * *

President's Office, Frontier Presidential Office, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

**"President Glass." **

President Howard Glass noticed that his personal intercom had called for his attention after he ended his call with Admiral Perry.

He pressed the button on the intercom to answer the call. **"Yes, what is it?"**

**"I've been able to make contact with the Vice President so far. I'm still trying to get a hold of Mr. Mishima as I speak."**

**"All right. Thank you."**

_Howard Glass (Tomomichi Nishimura/Fred Tatiascore)  
_

"I need to do something about this." The 5th president of Macross Frontier murmured after he ended the second call to his secretary. Right now, he needs to hold a meeting with him and the Vice President since the SHIELD officer he spoke to a while ago left to make a phone call to the Frontier field office.

The veteran politician heard someone knock on the door to his office four times. Each knock became louder and louder before it ceased.

"Come in."

The door opened up after President Glass replied to the loud knocks.

"It's good to see that you're on time, Mr. Vice President..."

Chapter 3 END

* * *

PS - I guess to those who watched the Macross Frontier TV series and the move adaptations, you may find some familiar scenes here. Though I don't know the extent of mixing up parts of the former and latter, expect to see some differences from mostly TV canon since I'm integrating stuff here from other franchises/series as I continue to write this story.

I was told in recent days that it may be a good idea to scale back from 10,000 words to something more reasonable like 5 to 6,000 words. To be honest, I use to start with the latter and progressed to the former over time due to my line of thinking that the latter may be too short. Of course, I don't try to make it 10,000 words except if the chapter I'm writing up needs to have the point made in terms of plot progression. I'll see if this needs further changing or not.

Title is taken from the Metal Gear / Solid Snake: Music Compilation of Hideo Kojima / Red Disc OST._  
_

Anyway, let me know how the story is when you review. Anything that concerns mistakes or suggestions in regards to this chapter is greatly welcomed.


	4. FIXER

Macross Frontier: Conspiracy

Chapter 4: FIXER

* * *

March 2, 2059

Auditorium, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Ranka was thankful to Mikhail that he helped her make sure that her seat was available in the concert hall's auditorium. He also informed her that she should also thank Alto for going out of his way to get her a good front row seat.

_I need to thank those two for helping me with the seat._

For the event, the green-haired girl happily wore her yellow scarf and dress with a blue wave-like design alongside her brown boots.

**"Thank you for coming, everyone." **The MC's female voice could be heard from the speakers set up in the area. **"We appreciate your patience in waiting. Now we want to bring you all to the main event."**

Loud cheers began to erupt from the crowd.

**"From Frontier Records," **The MC continued. **"we present to you the Sheryl Nome concert! Please enjoy!"**

More loud cheers erupted again before Sheryl entered on stage and greeted her fans. She held her wireless gold microphone on her left hand.

**"Listen to my song!" **

Sheryl said her catchphrase and twirled the microphone before the concert started.

* * *

Catwalk, Auditorium, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Mikhail and Luca were on standby on one of the catwalks overlooking the stage and the audience seats, being told by the organizers that they'll be called in after Sheryl was singing _Sagittarius 9pm Don't be late!_, the concert's opening song. They were both wearing their issued civilian EX-GEAR suits in order to perform the concert's stunts later on.

"Is he already here?" Luca asked Mikhail when he observed Sheryl already using the holographic suit to dress up in a dark blue officer's peaked cap and trenchcoat with black high boots. "It's bad enough that the program we already proposed got axed at the last minutes. Not to mention that we needed to drag our equipment without our own place..."

"Patience, my dear Luca," Mikhail reassured the junior by putting his hand on his left shoulder. "He wouldn't want to miss this concert for anything."

"Who's missing what now?"

Mikhail and Luca turned their heads around and saw Alto arrive to meet up with them, already in the issued civilian EX-Gear suit.

"Welcome to the show, princess." Mikhail greeted Alto by bowing in front of him. "I trust that the preparations went well for you?"

"Why you-!" Alto was about to sock the blond SMS contractor in the face when Luca intervened by putting himself between them.

"Stop it, you guys!" Luca pleaded with Alto and Mikhail to quit their bickering. "We need to be on standby until Sheryl gets her next song ready."

Alto sighed and moved Luca's hand away from his chest. "You're right, Luca." He then glared at Mikhail. "But you... We need to talk later."

"You guys!" One of their Mihoshi Academy classmates pointed to them that Sheryl had just started singing her opening song.

"Let's go, guys!" Mikhail motioned to everyone in the group to jump down and activate their EX-GEAR suit's wings and engines.

* * *

Backstage, Auditorium, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

**"Yes. Yes, I understand. I know... I know. I won't turn it off again this time. I promise."**

The call was concluded from Marc's smartphone from the chairman of the ASE, who had just received an earful for turning his phone off when it should have been kept on in case of an emergency. Marc however complained that Sheryl had entered his apartment and yelled at the top of her voice and humiliated him.

When he received an assurance that he'll talk to Grace and settle it, he thanked the man and waited for the other line to disconnect. He sighed and placed his smartphone on the belt clip placed on the left side of his waist.

_I'm glad that's over. _The ASE contractor continued to watch Sheryl perform when he adjusted the zipper of his Condor softshell jacket. He chose not to wear his shades today, so that he can keep an eye on the client better indoors.

"Everything alright?"

Marc turned his head to the side and saw Catherine standing behind him. In her usual NUNS uniform, she had just wrapped up talking to Grace a few minutes about the pop star's next plans.

"Never better." Marc placed the radio earpiece back on his left ear. "The chairman just gave me a mouthful for not being alert when I switched my phone off after I turned in a few nights ago."

"Ouch." Catherine winced a bit when she heard about his trouble. "Sorry to hear that."

"Thanks." Marc sighed. "I don't even get her at all." He looked at Sheryl while she sang _Sagittarius 9pm Don't be late!_ and flipped the microphone on her hand. "Does she even have to be self-centered just to get her shit and giggles?"_  
_

"I know what you mean." Catherine sighed also. "I told my father about the issue I had with her after she got mad with Frontier Records' use of so-called amateur stuntmen for her debut concert here in _Frontier_."

"Least nothing's going to happen with her here. Hopefully, there won't be a loony fan or any other kind of event that'll force her to postpone the concert."

* * *

Bridge, _Battle Frontier_, NUNGS_ Macross Frontier_

* * *

Admiral Perry had observed from his command chair that most of the NUNS VF-171 Nightmare Plus fighters had just taken off as instructed with five squads deployed from the accompanying _Guantanamo_-class ships. He gave the order for them to search and destroy any hostiles they come across.

So far, Bravo, Golf, Purple, Vermillion and Wolf squadron were ordered to sortie and serve as the first defense line for the colony fleet. The other squads were ordered to wait until the admiral has given the green light for them to launch.

_I just wish the NUNS wouldn't suspend further research into improving the Ghost's AI. Those damn pencil pushers just made things worse. _

"Admiral...! We're receiving transmissions from the squads sent in to engage the unknowns." One of the NUNS CIC analysts made a report from his seat.

"What about it?" The admiral gritted his teeth while he steepled his fingers, having a bad feeling about the situation.

"Bad, admiral. Two of the five squads are already getting casualties after they engaged the unknowns."

"What?"

The admiral didn't have time to consider his options with the release of another CIC update.

"New update. Purple Leader's been taken out. Bravo and Gold squadrons are requesting orders for their damaged Valkyries to return back at once."

Admiral Perry now decided to pick up the phone cradle once more and called President Glass. In the meantime, he told his XO to issue orders to get the other squads airborne at once.

The XO directed the admiral's attention to the red blips on the spherical radar screen. These indicated the hostiles that shot down the Ghosts with the blue blips being the Nightmare Pluses. And it didn't look good for him since there wasn't any signs that the red blips were decreasing.

Instead, the signs of blue blips on the radar were decreasing at a fast rate.

"Tell those who can retreat to retreat back at once! Get the second wave ready!"

"Understood, Admiral!"

* * *

President's Office, Frontier Presidential Office, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Vice President Terence Hoover, a man in his early 40s with brown hair with a clean-shaven face, was already inside President Glass' office alongside the Frontier military chief of staff Leon Mishima when the president received another phone call from _Battle Frontier_. This time, it was very urgent.

**"Thank you, Admiral. I'll make the proper calls to send you reinforcements at once."**

President Glass ended the call and sighed when he placed his hands on his temples, already starting to have a headache.

"I just wish those blasted Vajra wouldn't show up right now of all times."

"Mr. President." Vice President Hoover tried to help the president out when he placed his hands on his work table. "Now isn't the time to get frustrated by the appearance of the Vajras. We need to issue the alert and have everyone evacuated to the emergency shelters and send out the National Guard."

_Terence Hoover (Toshihiko Seki/Daran Norris)_

Leon coughed to get the attention of the two men.

"I'm afraid the vice president has a point, Mr. President," Leon said, backing up Vice President Hoover's statement when he placed his arms behind his back.

_Leon Mishima (Tomokazu Sugita/Roger Craig Smith)_

President Glass noted the advice of his chief of staff. He was right. He shouldn't bicker over his problem and instead, do something about it. The veteran politician decided to make the call.

**"Mr. Bilrer." **He picked up the phone cradle and made a call to SMS's Frontier HQ. **"It's me. Yes... yes... They've arrived."**

"I'll issue the alert to the National Guard at once." Leon took his smartphone from his jacket pocket when he informed the vice president.

"Please do," Vice President Hoover replied when he nodded. "They'll need the time to get ready."

"At once." Leon left the room when he answered the call and issued the order for Frontier National Guard personnel to be mobilized.

* * *

Auditorium, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

For the next act, Mikhail, Luca, Alto and the other Mihoshi Academy volunteers skated alongside the aisle seats before they took off to the air in unison. Once they joined up, they split off in various directions in order to create the rainbow effects from the EX-GEAR suit's boosters.

Ranka and the audience were amazed by the stunt. They extended out their arms and tried to touch the artificial confetti, which came from the boosters.

The spotlights were now focused on a high spot in the auditorium, which was a realistic mockup of a building's gargoyle. She was now wearing a blue and white dress with a pink cowboy hat and boots with a revolver strapped on her waist. On it was a pink Colt Single Action Army revolver, modified to fire holographic projections from it.

Sheryl was standing on the gargoyle, singing _Welcome To My FanClub's Night! _for the audience to see. She eyed one of the volunteers flying near her after he flew through the artificial clouds.

The pink-haired singer smirked and unholstered her revolver. She aimed it at one of them flying by and fired a heart-shaped projection.

_What the?_

Of all the volunteers "tagged" by Sheryl, it was Alto who had to dodge it. Even though he did thanks to his reflexes, the projection was apparently harmless since it exploded and faded into nothing afterwards.

_Why you..._

Alto gritted his teeth when he glared at Sheryl. In response, the pop star grinned and holstered her sidearm. She moved her left arm behind her and gestured at him with her left hand.

She was daring him to chase after her.

"What the hell is she...?"

Before Alto can figure it out, he saw Sheryl running towards the end of the gargoyle. When she reached the end, she leaped off it by leaning forward with her arms extended.

_Dammit! I don't recall this part being part of the program! _

Alto immediately flew in and caught Sheryl in his arms in the nick of time.

**"Guys! Form up alongside Alto! Hurry!" **Mikhail went on his earpiece when he saw what Sheryl did.

All of the other volunteers came flying alongside Alto. They flew together in a straight formation, trying to make the stunt part of their performance.

Eventually, Alto deposited Sheryl back on the stage.

* * *

Backstage, Auditorium, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Marc and Catherine kept an eye on Sheryl since started the second leg of the concert, both wondering if she did jump on purpose.

"I'll never understand her." Catherine felt a migraine was coming in to her temples.

"Hold on..." Marc got to his smartphone, which vibrated from his belt clip, since he noted that the call from ASE.

Catherine also went for her smartphone when it vibrated in her jacket pocket.

Both of them answered their respective phones. They received one thing that would have to change.

They were ordered to evacuate Sheryl at all costs.

The holographic equipment on the stage came to a halt when the red warning screens appeared. Sheryl's holographic suit ceased functioning as well, revealing a gray and black bodysuit.

"What..." Sheryl was clearly upset that her concert was halted. "I'm not finished yet."

"I'll go get Sheryl!" Marc placed the smartphone back on his belt clip and adjusted the earpiece. "See to her car!"

"I got it!" Catherine replied when she ran out of the backstage.

Marc got the FSB ballcap strapped on his pants and wore it over his head.

* * *

Stage, Auditorium, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

"What's the meaning of this?!" Sheryl shouted at the stage crew when she saw that they couldn't do anything about the holographic equipment.

"You need to come with me! The _Frontier_'s got a security breach!" Marc said out loud before he grabbed her left arm without waiting for a reply.

ASE security guards, wearing brown baseball caps and pants with light brown shirts and black duty vests, came running inside and formed up near the stage. They were armed, similarly to their FPB counterparts.

**"A state of emergency has been declared by the _Macross Frontier_ government! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!" **The automated message played from the warning videos played on screen.

The guards proceeded to guide the audience out of the auditorium.

"But wait a minute! The concert's not...!" Sheryl insisted of not leaving the stage.

Marc turned around to glare at her. "Idiot! You're in danger! And so's everyone else! So shut it and move it!"

"No way..." Ranka groaned when she saw Sheryl being dragged by the ASE contractor against her will.

* * *

Recreation Room, _Macross Quarter_, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Ozma, Gilliam and the other off-duty SMS contractors were busy watching the concert when the state of emergency broadcast was shown on the HDTV set.

**"All on-duty pilots are required to scramble at once! I repeat, all pilots are required to scramble! A Code Victor is issued by the _Macross Frontier_ government!"**

"Code Victor..." One of the SMS contractors murmured when he heard the broadcast.

"Gilliam!" Ozma shouted to Gilliam. "Get the pilots and maintenance personnel ready at once! Make sure you recall Mikhail and Luca!"

"No problem, Major!" Gilliam saluted briefly before he barked orders to all the pilots inside to get mobilized at once.

"What's this Code Victor about..." Leon asked Ozma when he heard the PA system make the announcement.

"Kid..." Ozma patted his right shoulder. "It's the Vajra. You remembered the debriefing, right?"

Leon nodded.

"Then come on. We got a fleet to protect."

"Yes, sir!"

Ozma led the way for Leon as the two ran out to the locker room in order to suit up. He had a grin on his face.

_Ranka. This is the moment that we've been waiting for._

* * *

Catwalk, Auditorium, Tenkumon Concert Hall, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

**"Roger. We're off at once!"  
**

Mikhail received a SMS transmission that had orders for him and Luca to return back to the _Macross Quarter _ASAP.

"Where are you guys going?!" Alto was startled to see Mikhail and Luca moving towards the catwalk railing to jump off.

"You better go, Alto." Mikhail stared at him before he jumped off the railing. "It's not safe here anymore."

Alto didn't know what he was talking about the moment the two Mihoshi Academy leaped off and activated the wings and thrusters since the engines was idle for a few seconds.

* * *

Bridge, _Macross Quarter_, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

"Captain Wilder!" A SMS contractor called for the officer's attention before he entered the bridge from outside. "We got authorization from _Battle Frontier _that we can take off once we're ready!"

"All right!" The bearded old man in his black SMS uniform, alongside his blue SMS peaked cap and aviator goggles worn around his neck, told the contractor. "Return to your post at once!"

"Yes, captain!" The contractor ran out and back as he went for the direction of the ship's engine room.

_Jeffrey Wilder (Toru Okawa/Marc Diraison)_

"To your stations, people!" The colonel informed the three CIC female personnel getting inside as he took his seat at the ship's command chair. "They're already here and we're to sortie at once!"

Wilder relayed additional orders from his chair. "Inform all squadron leaders that all pilots must use Super Packs. Squadron leaders are allowed to use Armor Packs as instructed."

* * *

5 kilometers away from _Macross Frontier_ airspace

* * *

Additional Nightmare Plus Valkyries were deployed to engage the incoming Vajras. This time though, the red Vajras were nowhere to be seen in sight.

Instead, smaller yellow Vajras were seen mobilized to intercept the NUNS forces.

**"What are they..." **One of the new Valkyrie pilots engaged in his first official sortie tried to chase one of the yellow Vajra from the rear. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't able to defend himself since other yellow Vajras came in close from all sides when they fired their internal guns at it.

**"NNOOOOOO!" **The pilot yelled when the guns penetrated the cockpit, engines and thrusters. If the guns didn't kill the pilot as he bled to death, the sheer explosion of his Valkyrie did the job as it completely vaporized his body.

Another yellow Vajra got the drop on another unsuspecting Nightmare Plus Valkyrie. After it landed on the Valkyrie, it used its flagellum to stab the cockpit hard before it flew off. The attack immediately decimated the Valkyrie and killed the pilot.

* * *

**"Not good..."**

A Nightmare Plus Valkyrie was being pursued from the back by two yellow Vajras. The pilot did everything he could to avoid being hit from doing aileron and barrel rolls to spins to dodge the incoming guns and missiles.

**"How are they able to use guns and missiles?!" **The Nightmare Plus pilot shouted from his cockpit seat when he executed his second spin to dodge a missile meant for the Valkyrie's wing. **"They're not even machines!"**

One of the yellow Vajras was about to slash at the Valkyrie's wings when it got shot down by several machine gun bursts. The other one was taken out by the same thing.

_Am... am I saved?_

**"This is Major Ozma Lee from SMS' Skull Squadron." **The pilot looked outside to see two SMS Valkyries equipped with both Armored and Super Pack systems after he heard a SMS transmission. **"We'll take control of this sector. Return back to your squad and regroup."**

One of them was a VF-25S, which belonged to Ozma while a VF-25F belonged to Leon.

**"U-understood! Cover my six!" **The Nightmare Plus pilot hastily made a retreat back to his assigned _Guantanamo_-class ship.

**"I guess you made a point when you said that the regulars don't have an idea about the Vajras." **Leon eyed his console for more incoming Vajras. **"But why can't we share the info..."**

**"Even if we could, I don't think the NUNS have any special weapons and some factions within could try to cover it up." **Ozma snorted when he heard Leon's suggestion to pass what info SMS has on the Vajra.

The older contractor noted from his console that the area seemed to be clear of Vajras.

**"Come on, Leon. We need to head back to the fleet and protect it."**

**"Understood!"**

The two Messiahs flew back from the cleared sector towards the fleet to reinforce the other SMS squads.

* * *

Somewhere near outskirts of Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Several hooded figures with gray hoodies, black jogging pants and white sneakers with ACU shoulder bags strapped on their backs, were seen doing parkour around the roofs of various buildings in the Beijing Area in front of Tenkumon Park. They witnessed ASE guards guiding the civilians out of the complex and towards the nearest emergency shelters.

Some of them took out military-grade binoculars and zoomed in on the park entrance, keeping a close eye on Ranka as she walked towards the entrance in the crowd, later being assisted by a lone ASE guard. Others kept an eye on Mikhail and Luca making the journey towards SMS HQ via EX-GEAR suits.

**"****Einherjar 1 to Wōdanaz, reporting immediate SMS mobilization from vicinity of Tenkumon Park. Requesting instructions, over."** A hooded man, whose face and cap was concealed by the gray hood over his head, used the portable radio's PTT button clipped on his belt while he eyed Mikhail and Luca already moving a greater distance towards their destination.

**"Leave them alone for now, ****Einherjar 1." **Wōdanaz replied in the encrypted transmission. **"For now, concentrate on making sure the Fairy is safe. We still need her to fulfill our plans."**

**"Understood."**

Unknown to the gray hoodie-wearing men, they were being watched from a distance by several other hooded figures from another building roof. Although the only difference is that they wore white hoodies with white shoulder bags strapped on their backs.

**"Hajal Leader to Alamut." **A white-hooded man with a pair of ballistic googles worn over his eyes, reported his findings. **"Spotted Templars ahead of us. They're pre-occupied as of this moment."**

**"Roger that, Hajal. Just keep an eye on them for now. Our agent's down there and we can't compromise the situation yet." **

**"Understood."**

* * *

Rear Entrance, Tenkumon Park, Beijing Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Alto saw from a distance that Catherine assisted Sheryl and Grace to get inside the parked Tata Pr1ma sedan, the former now back in her civilian clothes. Marc was on standby right next to his BMW K1600GT with his motorbike helmet already worn.

Two squads of Frontier National Guard soldiers were present to provide overwatch alongside an armored 4x4 vehicle with a mounted machine gun on top.

"Hey! Hey! Where do you think you guys are going, huh?!" Alto angrily approached the Pr1ma when FNG soldiers blocked his way to the limo, forcing a human barrier.

Marc almost instinctively reached for his belt holster when he realized who was doing the shouting. He calmed himself down and placed his hands down.

"Oy! Alto!" Marc shouted at the ex-kabuki actor when he flipped up the visor of his helmet. "What are you doing here?"

"You're one to talk!" Alto shouted back when he pointed at the sedan. "I though that you're going doing some work with ASE after the last time we met at the inter-school interaction." He then continued. "But to protect her of all people!"

Sheryl rolled her eyes when she overheard Alto's frustrations.

"Look!" Marc fired back in the argument. "This isn't the time to argue...!"

"Listen to him, boy." Sheryl glared at Alto. "After all, the professionals should take care of things like this."

"A lot of people came to see you!" Alto tried to push the Guardsmen away from his path. "But here you are sneaking away with your manager on your own! Where the fuck is your sense of decency!"

Marc was about to reply when he scoffed at him for "working" with the Sheryl protection detail and left when he pushed the Guardsmen aside.

Catherine stared at Marc and asked him. "What was that about?"

"Foolish boy..." Sheryl murmured.

"We can talk about it some other time." Marc flipped the visor of his motorbike helmet down. "We need to get a move on."

The ASE contractor started up his motorbike and was the first one to drive off from the driveway of the Tenkumon Park's rear entrance. The 4x4 vehicle followed to protect the Pr1ma ahead with a 2058 brown Ford Interceptor used by the PSD as an unmarked vehicle.

They would be directed to an emergency shelter located a few blocks away from the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

* * *

3 kilometers away from _Macross Frontier_ airspace

* * *

Three VF-25F Messiahs led by Gilliam were busy pursuing yellow Vajras that were trying to take out a _Guantanamo_-class ship stationed near _Battle Frontier_.

**"Dammit. These critters are too fast." **Gilliam murmured, carefully aiming and focusing on one of the nearest yellow Vajras by using the Valkyrie's Howard GU-17A 58mm Gatling gun pod. However, the Vajra's barrel roll made most of his shots miss. Only one or two shots made contact with the creature, but it didn't even leave a scratch on its body.

**"Gilliam!"**

Ozma's voice came on Gilliam's radio when he and Leon came in to the area to reinforce his group. Both SMS contractors fired the Bifors CIMM-3A micro-missiles from their mech's Super Packs, which made short work of the yellow Vajras when the missiles swarmed them from all sides and detonated on impact, killing them on the spot.

**"Thanks for the assist!" **Giliam thanked Ozma for the help. **"We got word from Quarter that a couple of Vajras are heading quick and fast towards Island 1!"**

The SMS Messiahs flew together back towards _Frontier_, only stopping to kill the yellow Vajras in their way.

* * *

Cockpit, Leon's VF-25F Messiah, en route to _Macross Frontier _airspace

* * *

After a few minutes of flying towards _Macross Frontier _airspace, Ozma and the other SMS pilots detected the incoming Vajra squads as mentioned by Gilliam a while ago.

**"Over there!" **Leon saw the two squads, led by the red Vajras, make short work of a couple of _Houston_-class Stealth Cruisers in the way when they fired their cannons at the Vajras. At least four yellow Vajras were seen accompanying them in a squad.

**"They're about to breach the island!" **One of the SMS pilots shouted when he fired his Bifors CIMM-3A micro-missiles to take down two of the yellow Vajras.

Another SMS pilot reported in details he's been hearing on the NUNS' frequency. **"_Battle Frontier _reports Purple and Vermilion squadrons to be out of commission! Wolf squadron's not going to last long in holding the Vajra off the defense line near the island!"**

**"Gilliam, you're in charge of this area!" **Ozma gave Gilliam his instructions. **"Leon and I will try to intercept the enemy!"**

**"You don't have to tell me twice!"** Gilliam chuckled when he gave chase to the yellow Vajras. **"OOOOHHHHHHHHAA!"**

Leon watched as Gilliam's micro-missiles took down the three Vajra squad's yellow Vajras. He and the other two SMS pilots moved in to face the red Vajra that turned around to engage them. The last yellow Vajra turned around to back up the red Vajra.

**"Let's move it!" **Ozma said to Leon out loud when the two moved in towards Island 1, flying around the debris of the stealth cruisers taken out in battle. They caught sight of the red Vajra trying to break the island's plexiglass dome despite the activation of the reflective shield in order to strengthen it from breaking the dome easily.

_We can't be called in as the fixer all the time to confront the Vajra, even though I want to take care of those bastards. The boss better do something about this situation. I'll be sure to submit a report if I can get out of this one._

A few minutes after stomping on the plexiglass, the red Vajra decided to break it by using the organic railgun mounted on its back. It aimed the weapon downward on the plexiglass and fired, creating a large hole for it and two yellow Vajras accompanied the red Vajra inside while the other two intercepted Ozma and Leon to hold them off.

**"Leon, now!" **Ozma fired off some of his micro-missiles at the incoming yellow Vajras.

**"Right!"** Leon joined in to fire his micro-missile at the Vajras from the side.

The two yellow Vajras saw the incoming missiles, but were overwhelmed by their numbers. In the end, they were blown to smithereens.

**"The big Vajra made it inside!" **Leon shouted when he attempted to fire the gun pod at it, but all of the shots missed.

**"We need to catch up with it! Move it!" **

Leon followed Ozma to the breached hole and chase the Vajras inside the island before the plexiglass began to repair the hole automatically.

* * *

Somewhere in Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Civilians still wandering around the downtown area and not in the shelters began to panic when they saw the red Vajra breach the island alongside the two yellow Vajras. They opened fire indiscriminately, causing structural damage in the San Francisco and Beijing Areas.

"Look out!" The ASE guard who helped Ranka specifically pushed her out of the way as concrete debris came crashing down on top of him.

"What the?" Alto caught sight of what happened and flew down after flying around for a few minutes just to get away from the fighting between the red Vajra and FNG 6x6 armored vehicles trying to intercept it.

"Ranka!" Alto went to see her and help her stand up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Ranka slowly nodded. "But... the guard. He pushed me..."

"I'll go check on him."

Alto used the EX-GEAR suit's gloves to help him dig through the rubble. It was a good thing that there wasn't a lot of it that fell down on the helpless guard. But still...

He knelt down next to the downed man and checked on his pulse after clearing the rubble away from his body and face. _I don't know if it's me, but he's not..._

"Did... did she make it okay?" The guard asked Alto, voice very weak.

"Yes, sir. She did."

"Good... Can you pass me a message to her brother?" The guard asked before he coughed.

Alto nodded.

"Tell him that Gary... Hayter... tried to help bring her to the nearest emergency shelter."

The student noted that the guard's arm gripping his EX-GEAR suit was getting weaker and weaker.

"Mr. Hayter!" Ranka ran up next to him and tried to get his attention. "Please wake up! The paramedics should be coming..."

Alto sighed. "It's too late, Ranka. He died probably due to the injuries sustained."

"No..." Ranka began to cry after seeing the man who saved her die in front of her.

Alto tried to look around for something just to cover up the body. He looked around hard until he saw a discarded jacket.

"What the?" He moved towards it by using the built-in roller blades to get in closer and pick it up. The jacket was then placed over the corpse.

"Come on, Ranka," Alto tried to console Ranka. "We need to move to a safer place."

"You're right." Ranka nodded when she wiped the tears off her eyes.

The two saw the red Vajra tear through the armored vehicles were wrecked when their 30mm cannons were not doing anything against it. The railgun's shot easily destroyed them and a number of buildings nearby.

* * *

Ozma and Leon were now flying over the downtown area of Island 1, surveying the damage done by the intruders.

_Hm... _He zoomed in with the Messiah's cameras to see Alto helping Ranka get away from the Vajras firing up the block they're in.

**"Leon, go and help the civilians out!" **Ozma directed the newcomer's attention to the two before he changed into Battroid Mode and drew out the Valkyrie's AK/VF-M9 assault knife. **"I got to settle some differences between me and the Vajra over there!"**

**"You in the EX-GEAR suit!" **Leon used the Valkyrie's speakers to get Alto's attention after he changed into Battroid Mode. **"Get out of here! Take the girl with you! We'll cover your escape!"**

"Wait a minute! I want an explanation on what's going on here!" Alto shouted his answer. _When did the military approve the VF-25 for combat use?_

**"Sorry, kid! I can't explain! Just get a move on!" **

The two yellow Vajras soon made a move towards Leon's Valkyrie, forcing him to be on the defensive when he fired the gunpod at them.

They responded by flying around, over and below the shots to make them miss. However, a shot made from long distance made contact with one of the yellow Vajras. This was the signal for Alto to pick up Ranka by the arms and get away from the sight.

**"Apologies for being late." **The long range shot came from Mikhail's personal VF-25G.

**"Right on time, Mikhail!" **Leon thanked Mikhail for the assist while he opened fire with some more micro-missiles to take out the last yellow Vajra remaining.

**"Allow me to help out." **Mikhail opened fire with the Dragunov, injuring it before the first volley of micro-missiles made contact with its body, blowing it up to several pieces.

The blond SMS pilot noted from the Valkyrie's cameras that he began to move towards the direction of Griffith Park.

_Nice move, Alto. The park may be the safest place yet._

**"What happened to Luca?" **Leon made contact with Mikhail, who was a bit worried.

**"He's helping out with the other guys outside via recon." **Mikhail got a lock on to Ozma's current position, which consisted of clashing with the red Vajra as he stabbed its chest with the large combat knife.

**"Alright. I'm heading back to help the Major." **Leon got the Valkyrie's combat knife out and moved in to help Ozma engage the red Vajra by stabbing it at the stomach area, all the way down.

**"Nice assist." **Ozma grinned when he drove the combat knife up to the red Vajra's neck. Leon swore that he saw Ozma lick his lips. As if he was enjoying the fight between him and the red Vajra all this time.

The red Vajra groaned in pain while being assaulted by two combat knives. Ozma and Leon continued to put more pressure on their weapons until they saw the Vajra's eye go dark. This made the creature go limp and fall down onto the empty streets.

**"Sector all clear." **Leon went for the radio to inform all SMS units in the vicinity. **"We got a Victor down here in Island 1."**

**"Lieutenant." **

Leon saw Luca's face on his console, wearing his issued SMS pilot suit.

**"Any updates?" **Leon asked Luca the moment his face appeared.

**"_Battle Frontier_ informed us that the enemy retreated. They're not saying why," **Luca replied when he looked outside.

**"Updates on the girl and the guy with him?" **Ozma's face showed up on Leon's console next, looking a bit upset.

**"In the clear." **Mikhail's face was the last to show up, looking very relieved that the fighting was over. **"They're heading to Griffith Park. I listened in on the ambulance service's frequency and they mentioned the dispatch of paramedics to the park to secure any civilians there who didn't make it to the shelter."**

**"Are you going to meet with Ranka, sir?"** Leon inquired to his superior.

Ozma sighed. **"Yeah. Most likely after we return. But not like this."**

Leon somehow knew that something was wrong with the reply, but chose to be discreet for now.

The SMS pilots could see FNG APCs and armored vehicles securing the perimeter with a 8x8 armored truck with an empty truck bed.

**"Let's return back to HQ." **Ozma ordered the others as he manipulated the controls to change his Valkyrie back to Fighter mode so that he can make it back to SMS HQ faster than if he left it in Battroid Mode.

The rest of the night would later consist of the FNG securing the Vajra's corpse and placing it on the truck bed. It was covered with a very large green tarp, using it as a blanket before they were ordered to bring it out of the downtown area.

* * *

Somewhere in Griffith Park Hill, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Alto placed Ranka down on the ground after he spent three hours roller blading through the various roadblocks and streets sealed off due to the rubble.

"Thanks, Alto." Ranka smiled at him and gave him a hug. "You saved me."

"Your welcome." Alto reciprocated the gesture by hugging her back. He was being careful so that he doesn't hurt her since he still has the suit on.

The sounds of sirens coming from the ambulances were drawing nearer and nearer towards the outskirts of Griffith Park.

"H-hold on for a bit..." Alto felt something was about to come out of his stomach. He dashed for the nearest trash can and vomited.

"Alto!" Ranka ran up to see if he was okay. "Are you okay?!"

Alto couldn't answer her immediately. During his moment, he could recall the moment when SMS Messiahs butchered the Vajras easily like they were nothing. He didn't know if the reaction was due to seeing their bodies explode or whether it was from seeing their blood and guts spilled on the city streets.

Chapter 4 END

* * *

PS - I guess some peeps may have questions on why a PMC/PSC would hire people as low as 16 years old. This is established in Macross Frontier that SMS is one of the few contractors that don't have qualms on hiring Mikhail, Luca and Alto. I don't know if the production crew has mentioned anything on why the standards were lowered a bit, but I won't be surprised if this is due to the wars that took place before and after the Zentradi invasion on Earth.

Notice that Sheryl's being a hardass on poor Alto. Well, that's being a celebrity for you.

I already mentioned before (I think) that the story has some crossovers with the MCU, with references to SHIELD. Although season 3 mentions hints of people worldwide having powers as shown in "Laws of Nature", I'll mention later in the story that this incident faded into history over time. I'll have an in-universe reason for that since I don't wanna emphasis this a lot in said story.

I also made a fictional class name for the stealth cruisers since in-universe, none was provided.

I'm having a hard time explaining on whether the stuff that came out of the EX-GEAR suits were artificial confetti made by the boosters or something...

Anyway, expect some day timeskips so that I can cover more of the plot that way. Same with the dates as thanks to the Macross info wiki/sites for that. Having most events take place in one day don't make sense IMO.

Title is taken from a song of the same name in Mell's second studio album, Mirage._  
_

Anyway, let me know how the story is when you review. It's been a while since I wrote the story's chapters again when I placed myself on a hiatus, so be easy on me. Anything that concerns mistakes or suggestions in regards to this chapter is greatly welcomed.


	5. The Man Who Never Lied

Macross Frontier: Conspiracy

Chapter 5: The Man Who Never Lied

* * *

March 4, 2059

Outskirts of Cypress Memorial Park, near outskirts of San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Ozma was now driving in his black and white Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione towards the main entrance of Island 1's Cypress Memorial Park. Accompanying him was Ranka, who sat in the car's front passenger seat. Due to the state of emergency imposed by the Frontier Government, it would take a few more days before it would be eventually lifted.

Ozma wore his SMS uniform jacket and gray tactical pants with black boots. For Ranka, she chose to wear a black mourning dress and high heels. While most schools and other places in the island were not that badly hit, Ranka was offered some time off since she was nearly killed during the Vajra incursion. For this, she thanked the principal for allowing her a few days off.

"You know, Ranka." Ozma spoke to his adopted sibling. "You don't have to come if you're not up to it. We can go visit the place at maybe some other time."

"It's okay." Ranka shook her head to reassure him. "I still want to go because I need to pay my respects to him for saving me from being killed."

Ozma smiled at her. "Sure. I think we can do that."

The car was later seen driving towards the central area of the memorial park.

* * *

Central Area, Cypress Memorial Park, near outskirts of San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

At the memorial park's ASE mausoleum, several uniformed ASE contractors were present after they arrived. Most of them had arrived early in the morning. They wore their ASE black jackets zipped up with their black berets donned on their heads with the emblem on it. Said emblem was the insignia of the Earth with a wreath around it, symbolizing the company's commitment to do its job regardless of where their branches are located.

Marc's BMW K1600GT had just arrived at the ASE mausoleum. He just had it parked behind a 4x4 SUV.

_Everyone from the Frontier branch is here. _

The student took off his helmet and stored it at the bike's mounted helmet case when he spotted two familiar faces in the crowd.

"You just arrived?"

Marc was greeted by a tall and muscular blond man with a big chin.

"Hey, Fred."

_Fred Jones V (Kisho Taniyama/Frank Welker)_

"Everyone's just waiting for him to show up with the chairman." Fred explained to Marc after he locked up his motorbike.

"I thought that he'd show up right now..." Marc replied before he stopped when he saw a black Peugeot 908 RC arrive. When the driver parked the vehicle adjacent to the mausoleum, two people emerged right out of the car.

One of them was Michael Yeo, the current head of ASE's Frontier branch as its chairman. He appeared to be of Chinese descent, in his early 50s with combed hair and some wrinkles on his face. The other man was a ASE contractor, judging by his uniform. He was seen speaking to the driver, who was told to sit inside and wait until the chairman returns.

"Chairman." Fred greeted the chairman by saluting him when he came to the steps of the mausoleum. Marc did so as well.

"Good work with ensuring the safety of Ms. Nome." Chairman Yeo placed a supporting hand on Marc's left shoulder.

"Thank you, sir." Marc nodded.

"When I have time, we'll sit down and talk about the arrangements we have with the president and Frontier Records."

"Understood."

Chairman Yeo then walked inside towards the mausoleum, going to speak with the immediate family and relatives of the deceased ASE guard who got killed in the line of duty.

"Seems you're doing well." The ASE contractor who accompanied the chairman greeted Marc and Fred.

_Phil Coulson IV (Manabu Muraji/Clark Gregg)_

"Good to see you, Agent Coulson..." Fred saluted Phil in response. Marc did the same thing.

"Please guys." Phil waved off the salute. "You don't need to address me as _Agent_. I don't have that title anymore since I left SHIELD for a long time."

"Sorry." Fred chuckled. "Old habit."

Marc asked the older and more experienced contractor. "So what's going to happen now?"

"We still continue with the job. At the same time, the chairman's going to unofficially open up an investigation with regards to who was responsible for trying to harass Ms. Nome when she arrived at the Frontier spaceport."

"I though the FPB's trying to investigate it."

"Officially they still are. But unofficially... the Commissioner's considering to just sweep it and call out the suspect who's just using his emotions to try and humiliate a pop star without thinking of the consequences. The details will come later after we regroup back at the office."

"Dammit. It's not going to make my job any easier if I don't even know who I'm dealing with in terms of stalkers."

An ASE contractor waved to the trio to get their attention. "Come on! The chairman's about to start the ceremony!"

"Relax." Phil reassured Marc. "I'm sure I know what the chairman's doing."

* * *

ASE Mausoleum, Cypress Memorial Park, near outskirts of San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Chairman Yeo was speaking to Gary Hayter's family. They consisted of his wife and three children, two girls and one guy. The three were studying in university with the two girls as the older siblings.

"We'll make sure that your children can finish university, Ms. Hayter." The chairman was seen shaking hands with the wife before he spoke to the children for a few minutes.

"Looks like your uncle's doing his things now." Fred said when he saw the chairman talking to the family. "He's the reason why ASE's doing so well."

"As long as there's no more armed incursions..." Marc sighed. He spotted the memorial park's chaplain enter the mausoleum.

At once, the civilians sat down in plastic chair while Phil motioned to all the present ASE contractors to form up with two lines standing near Gary's coffin on both sides.

"Attention!" Phil gave the order for all the ASE contractors to stand at attention while the chaplain began to give his eulogy.

* * *

Blanc Apartment, Shibuya Area, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Since Mikhail was allowed to get some time off with Luca since they were involved in the SMS operation to drive off the Vajra from _Frontier_, he took the opportunity some of the things NUNS gave back to him after Jessica passed away.

He was in the attic, checking the boxes that held her possessions to see if he can strike dirt and find a clue or two.

"There's got to be something in these boxes that can be a potential lead." Mikhail groaned after he was able to put back Jessica's PC up in one of the unused rooms in the apartment. As a safety precaution, he chose not to hook it up to the internet as a safeguard since he needs to secure it. Due to his sister's line of work, he expected her to put some security measures on the PC whenever she brought work with her.

"Here it is." Mikhail found a box that had the label WORK STUFF pasted on top. He opened it up and saw numerous documents related to her work in NUNS' military HQ in _Frontier_. "Let's see what kind of documents are they..."

Browsing over the folders, the blond-haired student noted that most of them are just reports submitted to her by her subordinates or reports done by her prior to submission to her commanding officers.

However, there was one folder that caught his eye.

_A folder on complaints? __I never heard of this._

Mikhail grabbed the folder that had the label COMPLAINTS written on it. When he browsed through it, he noted that it had complaint reports filed by Jessica, some of them submitted to the Military Police.

"Some of these are dated back prior to her court-martial." Glancing through one of the reports, it had a written statement on the record that her superior officer was harassing her over some claim that they had an affair.

"I remember hearing her complaining about this whenever she gets back home." Mikhail went to Jessica's PC and turned it on. "I'm not sure if it's a good sign to start with."

He placed the papers down and waited for the PC to fully boot up. When it finished loading, he saw a password prompt was required.

"The door." Mikhail the doorbell twice in a row. He ran up to the door and opened it.

"Sorry I'm late." Luca greeted Mikhail when he arrived at his residence. "You said that you got something urgent?"

"Yeah." Mikhail showed him inside. "It's about some things my sister had before she passed away..."

* * *

ASE Mausoleum, Cypress Memorial Park, near outskirts of San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

All of the present ASE contractors stood at attention after the chaplin finished his eulogy. Chairman Yeo was next to speak to everyone present.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming." The chairman said when he addressed them. "Especially friends of the deceased. It means a lot to the family present. I apologize if my eulogy isn't good. I just heard about his passing yesterday when I helping with relief efforts."

Ozma sighed when he heard the speech start. Ranka moved a bit in her chair due to the dress making her skin itch a bit.

"Mr. Hayter's one of the best contractors I ever met since the day he was recruited back by my predecessor a few years ago. He showed his love and dedication not only to his job, but to his family."

He gripped the podium a bit tight with his hands.

"I... I'd like to say that in ASE, I treat all of the employees as family too. I want everyone to remember Gary for who he is. A loving and caring father and a hardworking man who brings a smile, even when they're down. I will do my best to make sure that the Hayter family is taken care of so that the kids can finally finish college. "

Chairman Yeo bowed in front of the audience.

"That's all. Thank you very much."

"ATTENTION!" Phil gave the order. Marc and the other contractors lined up stood at attention as ordered.

"SALUTE!" All of the contractors saluted Gary's coffin before it would be inserted into the mausoleum's liquid vat. Inside, the coffin would eject the body in order to dissolve it entirely, including the skeleton.

The crowd bowed their heads in silence for a few minutes to pay tribute to him. Ozma and Ranka joined in as well.

During this time, Sheryl's Tata Pr1ma parked outside after it arrived. A FPB PSD officer stepped out to open the rear passenger door, allowing Sheryl and Grace to come out. Both women were wearing black mourning dresses as they went inside to pay their respects.

* * *

Blanc Apartment, Shibuya Area, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Luca took a seat in front of the table so that he can get a good look at Jessica's PC.

"So this is the one that you told me about over the phone?" Luca asked Mikhail when he pointed at the screen.

"Yeah, that's right." Mikhail nodded. "I don't know who to talk to. And within SMS, I know that you're one of the best when it comes to matters concerning electronics, especially computers."

Luca pondered over what Mikhail said before he replied. "I don't know. I mean... I never tried hacking a computer before." He reached out to his backpack and opened one of the exterior pockets. "But I think I have something that could work."

"What is it?"

Luca took out a small flash drive and inserted into a USB port. "I got a program that should try to unlock the password by using a brute force-style attack."

"How long do you think the program needs to make it work?" Mikhail saw that a progress bar popped up when the program started.

"Should take a few minutes, depending on how strong the password security is."

The two waited for the program to do its work. Mikhail remembered that the password had six alphanumeric characters.

They waited as the program continued to decipher the password's characters. It took a total of eight minutes to break into the PC.

"There it is." Luca began to do his work when he chose to press enter when the program prompt showed that the password was already cracked.

_A mix of alphanumeric characters. I don't blame her. She worked in the military after all._

The password prompt, however, caught his eye.

_What's this?_

**TINPIE**

"Do you know what kind of password is this?" Luca asked his upperclassman when he pointed to the screen.

Mikhail shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Mikhail, are you in troub..."

"You're familiar with what happened to my older sister, right?"

Luca nodded.

"Then I'm going to tell you that you may potentially step into murky territory..."

* * *

ASE Mausoleum, Cypress Memorial Park, near outskirts of San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Marc saw Sheryl and Grace present in the ASE Mausoleum, which sort of startled him. He was told by the FPB that she'd stay in the hotel all day and will not be having any public appearances, in part due to the massive cleanup being done all over the island.

"I didn't know that she'd come." Fred said when he and Marc were talking to Phil as Sheryl and Grace were talking to the Hayters.

"Me neither." Phil nodded. "This was probably arranged by President Glass as a chance to help boost her popularity with the locals."

"I really think I need to clear some things with her." Marc massaged his left temple.

"That bad, huh?" Fred asked when he placed a hand on his right hip.

"Yep. Got to see some of her dark side when things don't go her way." Marc said with sarcasm in his voice. "You should've seen her I was preparing to escort her to a shelter near her hotel."

"Ouch." Fred said in a sympathetic tone.

"Regardless of what you feel, we need to honor the contract the chairman with Ms. Nome's record label." Phil told Marc after hearing him out. "Just hold on out for a bit longer."

"Well she does need an adjustment in attitude..."

* * *

Unknown Location

* * *

**INITIATE BOOTUP SEQUENCE...**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**BOOTUP SEQUENCE. LOGIN COMPLETED.**

When the black screen flickered, Wōdanaz, Freyja and Tiwaz showed up as the usual names online. This time though, another name was logged online.

The name _Thor_ showed up.

**"MAY THE FATHER OF UNDERSTANDING GUIDE US...!"** Freyja took the initiative in starting the online meeting.**  
**

**"MAY THE FATHER OF UNDERSTANDING GUIDE US...!" **Wōdanaz and Tiwaz said in unison.

**"My apologies for being so late." **Freyja opened the meeting by speaking first. **"I was able to get in touch with Thor as of an hour ago. He's now ready to join in the meeting."**

**"Good"** Wōdanaz was next to talk. **"As long as Thor's with us, then there's no way that our plan will ever fail."**

**"I'd like to report that our mole in the FPB has passed me some reports that the investigation into the person who attempted to assault Ms. Nome has ended as of 1000 hours." **Tiwaz was next to report. **"He's being painted as a mere fan who got in over his head after I sent in information about Ms. Nome's past back in_ Galaxy_. The rest, as you can see, is history."**

**"As long as the media believes that the assault was due to an ex-fan gone delusional, I'll let it stay that way."**

The channels went silent for a minute.

**"Do you have a report regarding Thor, Freyja?"**

**"No I don't, Wōdanaz. But I wish to report that Thor has been conducting some recon against Almighty Support Enterprises' main headquarters in Island 1."  
**

Wōdanaz sighed over the line when he heard what Thor was up to.

**"I assume that ASE hasn't detected his movements yet?"**

**"None, sir. You have my word."**

**"Very well... I want to hear his report."**

**"My recon on ASE's headquarters is successful. They're on full alert due to the Vajra incursion on Island 1."** Thor reported in a serious, monotone voice. **"I have not been detected by ASE security forces before and after I left the area."**

**"Has there been any developments from within, Thor?"**

**"None that I can report. They're still working on providing close protection for Ms. Nome."**

**"Good. We stay the course and make sure our tracks are hidden. Anything happens that can affect our plans for _Frontier_, report via backup channels. Is that understood?"  
**

**"UNDERSTOOD!"** Freyja, Tiwaz and Thor replied in unison.

**"MAY THE FATHER OF UNDERSTANDING GUIDE US...!"**

The four started to log out of the session, one by one.

**ENDING SESSION...**

* * *

March 8, 2059

Lobby, Strategic Military Services Headquarters, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

SMS has issued its order for all its contractors to report in for an immediate debriefing regarding the clearing off debris throughout Island 1, since it's the main island where the Vajras hit it hard aside from taking out some of the colony's defense fleet.

"That debriefing went on and on as expected." Mikhail yawned, feeling tired despite having slept well last night. "Only by an hour or so."

"Yeah, I know." Bobby agreed with the young contractor's sentiment. "If he kept going on for another hour, it's going to ruin the wrinkles I've been trying to get rid of."

Mikhail sighed, even though he knew of his sexual orientation.

"Hey, there you are! Thought I won't see you after the debriefing!"

Mikhail turned around to see Luca run up to him.

"I'll catch you guys later." Bobby said his goodbyes to the two. "I got some shopping to do."

"See ya, Bobby."

Mikhail and Luca were by themselves in the lobby as most of the contractors went off to do their business. Only a female employee manning the reception desk and two security guards outside the building were present.

"Mikhail..." Luca whispered to Mikhail. "I ran the data I got from your sister's computer a few days ago. And I was able to get in."

Mikhail frowned a bit when he heard the news.

"Did you find anything?" The blond-haired teen asked when he led Luca away from the lobby in case someone would overhear whatever Luca was going to tell him.

Luca didn't say anything, except to show his personal electronic tablet to Mikhail. On the screen was the data he obtained.

"What the hell?" Mikhail murmured when he went through the data. Most of them indicate that they came from the databanks of the Frontier-based government and military.

_Is my own flesh and blood a spy?_

He gripped the tablet tightly in his hands when he read the info.

"Mikhail..." Luca was worried that Mikhail looked very serious.

"Say Luca," Mikhail handed the tablet back after he regained his composure. "Can you do me a favor and copy the info you got?"

"O-okay."

"And don't tell this to anyone."

"Sure."

* * *

Somewhere on Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Leon was seen in Island 1's downtown district, now wearing civilian clothes as he was now off duty for the meantime. He looked around to see that there was major progress in cleaning up the area, thanks to the government's reconstruction crews with some assistance from ASE in sending in volunteers to help out.

"Over here."

Leon heard a voice from the back. He was about to turn out when he heard a command.

"Don't turn around. It's dangerous here. Let's go to a safer place."

Leon nodded. He and the stranger walked off towards a nearby alley.

"What is it?" When the chief of staff turned around, he saw that the man's face was covered with a black hood and metallic-type facemask. The rest of his clothes appear to be black.

**"Our masters want to see whether there's interference in the hands of the ASE."** The hooded man asked Leon, who noted that the man's voice was digitally altered so that his identity won't be given away as a security measure.

"Tell them not to worry. They haven't got a clue that we have a presence here in _Frontier_." Leon advised him. "On the other hand, being overzealous will make them turn the city upside down just to hunt your group down. They're one of the best PSCs when it comes to criminal investigations."

**"I understand. What of Ms. Nome?"**

"My master insist that she's still vital. We're waiting on further assistance from our comrades back at _Macross Galaxy _before we move on to the next stage of the plan. For now, we're waiting to see if the Vajra incursions will force us to change our timetable."

**"Of course. I thank you for your time, Mr. Mishima. Wait for us to contact you again. Wait for 5 seconds before you turn around."**

Leon didn't wait for 5 seconds to go to waste. He turned around and was about to draw out his Walther PPK pistol, his thumb placed on the slide's safety lever raised up to make the weapon fire.

_What the? Where did he go?_

He didn't see anyone in the alley besides himself, which made him concede and lower the safety lever to render it safe. After he tucked it on the IWB holster in his waistband, Leon walked down the alley towards the other side of the block.

_Why the hell can't I do secret communications via electronic means?_

* * *

March 11, 2059

Somewhere in Griffith Park Hill, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

In the afternoon, Alto passed by Griffith Park Hill on the way home when he got a SMS message from Ranka. Apparently, she wanted to talk to him.

"I wonder what she wants with me?"

Alto decided to take Ranka up on her offer. Besides, he knew her from way back. So everything should be okay.

"Alto!" Ranka smiled and waved at him when she saw him arrive.

"Oh, hey Ranka."

Alto walked up to see Ranka. The two of them were now standing near the walls, looking over the horizon of Island 1.

"How are you holding up?" Alto asked the green-haired girl out of concern.

"I'm fine." Ranka replied, brushing a strand of her hair back away from her eyes. "Just getting over the shock over the invaders that breached here a few days ago."

"And your brother?"

"He's doing well. As far as I know, he's got some more paperwork to finish."

Alto leaned over the wall, his hands on the railing. "So did you want to tell me something?"

Ranka leaned on the wall, her left foot on it, as she looked at the blue ponytailed teen. "Yes I do. I... I decided that I'm going to enter the upcoming Ms. Macross contest."

"Are you sure?" Alto was a bit startled by her statement. "You know as well as I do that your big brother won't allow you to go and enter the contest."

"I know." Ranka sighed. "Which is why I'm going to do it without him." She then pointed her finger at him. "I wanted to sing. I loved every minute of it..."

"Ranka..."

"Just listen to me for a bit, okay?" Ranka placed a hand on Alto's right arm. When he nodded, she placed her hands on her chest.

"Aimo, aimo..."

* * *

Sheryl was seen walking towards the center of the park, wearing her usual yellow blazer jacket, red pencil skirt and high heels with her oversized shades. She was there to get away from public attention, most of them being the press asking her about her safety and whatnot. The idol had told them that Grace will be happy to answer any of their inquiries.

_The nerve of them. Intruding on me when I'm having my meetings with Frontier Records.  
_

Marc wasn't present near Sheryl's side. ASE had Phil take over for doing close protection duties until he's ready to be back on duty.

Sheryl had told him to wait near the car since she wanted to be alone for a while.

"Aimo, aimo..."

She heard a melody that sounded so... familiar to her ears.

"That song..."

She walked faster and faster, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever was singing.

* * *

Blanc Apartment, Shibuya Area, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Mikhail just got back to his apartment, already putting in the memory stick up to the PC formerly used by his sister. He didn't plug it to the internet network his apartment has as a safety measure to whatever incriminating files Luca may have found.

"What kind of things happened in the military that Jessica had to sneak these files out?"

The blond-haired contractor browsed the files Luca got. So far, some of the folders he looked at mention communiqués regarding the destruction of the 117th Research Fleet back in the late 2040s.

"The 117th Research Fleet?" Mikhail murmured when he read the various announcements made by the NUNs. "What's important about this?"

Continuing to look at the other files, he encountered other folders that mentions photos.

"What's inside?"

Mikhail opened the folder to see several digital photos were inside. Most of the photos had Mishima meet up with the vice president, the two of them speaking to VIPs who were from _Galaxy_.

_This is getting more interesting than I thought. _

* * *

Somewhere in Griffith Park Hill, Island 1, NUNGS _Macross Frontier_

* * *

Ranka was singing _Aimo _in front of Alto, the two not paying attention that Sheryl was standing near the former.

"Huh?" The high school student stopped singing when she heard someone clap their hands. She turned around to see that it was Sheryl.

"I'm impressed by your singing, young lady." Sheryl removed her shades after she finished clapping her hands.

"Ms. Nome." Ranka was shocked to see the Galactic Fairy in person. Alto too was a bit startled.

"Do you mind if I ask you one thing..." Sheryl said before she trailed off, trying to see if she can get Ranka to tell her name.

"I'm Ranka." Ranka bowed her head a bit as a courtesy when she introduced herself. "Ranka Lee."

"Of course, Ms. Lee." Sheryl nodded, now knowing her full name. "Do you mind if I ask you where you learned the song _Aimo_?"

Ranka was confused by the question. "What do you mean by that, Ms. Nome?"

"That song was only known to the Nome family for many generations." Sheryl started to explain her question to the girl.

"Um... I..." Ranka was at a loss to explain.

"Hey!" Alto yelled at Sheryl. "Do you do this to every person after you formally introduce yourself?"

"Of course not!" Sheryl shouted her answer. "But it's because Ranka here sang a song only my family knows."

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Nome!" Ranka said when she apologized to her. "I really don't know where I learned the song! I just... I just know it from fragments of my old memories."

Sheryl sighed when she heard her answer. This is before the sound of a mobile phone ringing and vibrating was heard.

Alto and Ranka looked around to see where the sound was from. The two then saw that the vibration came from... Sheryl's chest.

"What the?" Sheryl gasped when the mobile phone, in the shape of a takoyaki, leaped out of her dress shirt. Alto and Ranka blushed, when the former glanced away fast while the latter covered her face with her hands. The takoyaki phone then hopped between Sheryl's hands before she was able to grab it tightly in her left hand.

"Dammit... Who's interrupting me at this moment?" The idol angrily said before she answered the call on her phone.

**"Hello?" **Sheryl answered the call on her phone.

**"It's me, Grace. I'm very sorry to interrupt your free time, but your presence will be needed back in the city."**

**"Wait a minute! I'm in the middle of something right now...!"**

**"Bye, Sheryl! I'll go and make contact with Mr. Coulson after this!"**

**"Wait! Wait a minute...!"**

The conversation ended abruptly, leaving a disgusted Sheryl to simply squeeze her phone in frustration.

"Darn you... This is all the thanks I get for just only a few minutes of my time off from the media spotlight..."

"M..ms. Sheryl."

Sheryl stopped whatever she was doing and saw Ranka a bit nervous.

"What is it?" Sheryl asked the young girl after she kept her phone.

"To be honest, that song was the first thing that came to mind when I was adopted."

_I guess I can't blame her if she says that it came from her memories..._

"I mean... I really like singing. After all, it cheers me when I'm in a bad situation."

The Galactic Fairy placed both of her hands on Ranka's shoulders.

"I don't usually help out," Sheryl spoke to the girl. "but allow me to give you some advice."

Alto looked on the conversation between the two, hoping that Ranka would get something positive from the pop star.

"Don't give up. That's the number one thing to keep in mind. Regardless if it's singing..." She then looked at Alto for a few seconds before she looked at Ranka. "Or if it's trying to get someone's attention."

"H-hey!" Alto was a bit alarmed by what Sheryl said. "Just what the hell are you trying to insinuate back there?"

Sheryl only smirk before she continued her conversation with Ranka. Alto only growled in anger by that act.

_That girl..._

Their conversation lasted for a few more minutes before Sheryl departed ways with Ranka.

* * *

March 18, 2059

Somewhere in San Francisco Area, Island 1, _NUNGS Macross Frontier_

* * *

Mikhail was now in civilian clothes, out of school/SMS uniform, as he made his way towards the downtown area of the San Francisco Area.

_The next rendezvous is in this area? Well it's a good thing that there's nothing much to do in SMS right now aside from being on immediate standby. _

He was told to specifically wear a dark blue hoodie, though he was allowed to wear his usual pants/footwear of choice. According to a SMS message, it was one way to get in touch with him from the crowd.

_How long do I have to wait until I get in touch with someone?_

The blond contractor waited near the Powell &amp; Market cable car turntable. He would later be approached by someone from the rear with a challenge question as mentioned in the SMS with the challenge answer provided.

It seemed to be an eternity for him when waited for almost an hour in the area. It seemed that no one was approaching him.

"I never listen to music in my house."

Mikhail turned around to see a man who appears to be in his mid 30s. He had a brown ballcap worn over his head in a way that it covers his eyes to prevent him from making a positive ID. He also had a blue windbreakers, jogging pants and white running shoes.

He nodded and answer the man's statement.

"I listen to music in the car."

The cap-wearing man walked next to Mikhail and spoke in a low voice for the latter to hear. "Come with me. Don't do anything to give us away, you got it?"

Mikhail slowly nodded. "O-okay..."

The two walked down the sidewalk away from the Powell &amp; Market turntable.

"I assume that you're armed?" Mikhail asked the cap-wearing man.

The man did not reply and instead, continued walking.

"What do you want to meet me for?"

"We made contact with the one person based on his history with you."

The man gave Mikhail a colored photo for him to examine. On it was Mikhail and Marc posing for the camera in their respective school uniforms during the inter-school interactions between the various secondary schools throughout _Macross Frontier_.

"So we knew each other from way back." Mikhail stared at the photo before he glared at the man. "What then? What's your endgame?"

The man replied. "We found someone who may have information you need regarding the ones responsible for killing your sister."

The part-time contractor got the photo from the man. He turned it around and saw something was written at the back.

_Hue Lounge and Nightclub _

_447 Broadway Street_

_San Francisco Area_

"I heard of this place." Mikhail said when he read the address.

"Good. That where you and your friend are going."

"Wait a second..." Mikhail was getting really furious over the man being secretive. "How the hell do we...?"

"You don't." The man said before he started to walk down the street as fast as he can. "We'll contact you again in a few weeks."

"What if you're lying..."

"Do I look like someone who lied after we offered our assistance?"

Mikhail didn't say anything to stop him when the man walked down the street before he disappeared into the crowd, using them to hide his tracks from anyone trying to look for him.

_Dammit... Just how am I going to proceed from here?_

Chapter 5 END

* * *

PS - Happy New Year to everyone! I'm just heading back to fic writing in 2016 and this is the first of many updates for the year. Apologies for the very, very late update. A lot of things happened, including travels to Bhutan and getting acceptance to my first job ever after relocating to my parent's house with a community college degree to start with... Later, I also got my first job as a research analyst in a think tank firm.

You'll notice that I had the descendants of Phil Coulson and Fred Jones appear in the chapter. Yes, they're descendants of the first Phil and Fred since they're some of the most awesome characters in fiction. Just to clarify that Fred's distant ancestor (I think I got this terminology right) is based from the Mystery Inc. cartoon version. Coulson is already obvious. I'll explain that more in later chapters if and when I can. I hope I don't forget this.

Anyway, I'm showing Sheryl in a positive light. While she's such a snob to things that don't go her way, she'll try her best to support someone who wants to sing. Just like how she did things to help Ranka from behind the scenes in canon. Bout time I try to redeem her. XD

I made a change or two, but it wouldn't be that noticeable anyway. Decided to do so since I though it was going to get redundant. Otherwise, everything else is still the same.

Title is taken from Maroon 5's album Overexposed.

Hope you guys enjoy reading the chapter. Let me know what you think about it and do let me know if I made a boo boo or something. Thanks! XD


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